Cast In Stone
by Rapscallion
Summary: AU- Sakura is a princess and a sorceress that an evil emperor wishes to have as his wife and Syaoran is a boy who had been trapped for a thousand years in stone when Touya accidentally frees him. Please R
1. The Dead Garden

Ice Jayden: I do NOT own Card Captor Sakura in any way, shape, or form. I just like to use the characters in strange plots that my mind concocts.  
  
Cast In Stone  
  
The Dead Garden  
  
A scream pierced the night air as a castle burned from the attack. People were fighting everywhere as a lone man sat upon his large black steed holding a young sorceress captive. She was the one who had screamed only for the man to silence her with a quick spell, for he too was a powerful magic user.  
  
He watched the battle for a few more minutes before he turned his horse upon its hunches and kicked it into a fast gallop. He used his magic to open the ominous looking portal gate that he rode towards to transport him to his own castle. He was the Emperor of all of Asia.  
  
After he had crossed through the portal he rode into the inner courtyard of his palace. He dismounted gracefully and allowed a young squire to take his mount away to the stables.  
  
He then proceeded to drag his hostage into the castle and into the gardens. Pulling out a pair of handcuffs he chained her to the statue of a young winged warrior and then left her. Realization of her inability to escape blossomed on the young girls face as she discovered that the cuff also restrained her from using any magic.  
  
Sakura could feel her entire being shaking in fear at being captured by the Asian Emperor. Slowly she calmed her nerves and looked at the garden she had been left in. Half dead flowers were scattered amongst the flower beds where thistles and stinging nettles seemed to flourish. Other statues of winged figures were scattered about the garden, but all of them were lying on the ground with their faces contorted in pain.  
  
She felt her heart sicken at the sight of the garden that seemed to push away anything beautiful and good. In fact the only thing that looked somewhat nice was the statue that she had been cuffed to. Its face was impassionate and a bit cold, but at least it was upright and was actually somewhat beautiful to her.  
  
She continued to look upon the statue and noticed that the artist must have put a lot of effort into it as the details were so fine as to include the texture of the warrior's skin. Looking at the other statues in the garden she determined they were crafted with the same amount of skill. It saddened her to think how someone could have such talent and use it to create something that looked so tortured.  
  
Her eyes moved back to the statue of the warrior that the other handcuff was attached to. In one hand he held a sword and he was standing in a warrior stance. His clothes were strange, but looked like something she would see out of one of her history books on the once prosperous Chinese Kingdom that had been destroyed about a thousand years ago by the Empire that had recently taken her prisoner.  
  
Her eyes then strayed to a statue of a young girl; she appeared no more than ten years old. Her mouth was open as though she was screaming, eyes were squinted shut in a pained expression, and one could even see the tears on the statues cheeks. Every statue was so real looking that it tore Sakura's heart to see, even in just statues, the faces contorted in pain.  
  
With a bit of difficulty she tore her eyes away from the child statue and began examining a patch of wilting roses. Half the petals lay on the ground by the stems of the plants and all of them were browning. The color that was left on some of the petals seemed dull and lifeless. No longer able to bear to look at the dying plants she found herself once again examining the statue she was attached to. It was the only thing in the garden that did not radiate pain and death. All of the features were finely chiseled. She could see every fiber in each of the feathers on his wings and his sword had beautiful ornate carvings in the handle. She noticed that he was actually handsome, although she felt that it was somewhat marred by the sternness of his expression. The statue's hair was messy and had the appearance, along with the Chinese robes he wore, of being in an intense battle.  
  
She had never in her entire life seen such immaculate details in any statue before. She halfway felt that at any moment the stone would change to living flesh. His wings were spread out behind his back as though reaching for the sky; they looked like an enlarged version of an eagle's wings. Looking upon the other statues she noticed that all their wings seem to be designed to resemble different types of birds' wings.  
  
Lost in her thoughts about the various statues in the garden and the details, she did not notice that her captor had returned. He gave a slight smirk before he broke the silence. "So you like the beauty of the gardens." He said it as though it were a fact.  
  
Sakura jumped from the suddenness of the intrusion of her thoughts by the young man. "I do not think this place is beautiful, it looks more like a deserted graveyard." She put as much dislike for the place she found herself in and him in her voice as she could manage.  
  
"Yes, I suppose you could call it that. But it is a rather magnificent graveyard nonetheless." His icy eyes bore into Sakura and she felt a shiver run down her spine. A soft "hoe" passed her lips as she felt goose bumps form. She was in a graveyard and she felt herself tensing up in fear.  
  
"Do not worry, they are truly dead, they cannot rise again. Their souls are destroyed in the spell that binds their bodies in stone. Their existence is only a thing of days long past. A very painful way to die, as I am sure you have noticed; although the wings that my great grandmother had added suits the dead quite nicely."  
  
Sakura desperately wanted to get away from the man and this horrendous place. With horror she realized that she was chained to the stone form of a dead person. It was about as bad as facing a ghost. A loud piercing scream once again parted from Sakura's throat and broke the silence.  
  
When she stopped screaming her throat was throbbing in pain. She then heard him laughing; it was an evil laugh that delighted in her fear. Amusement was clear on his face as he once again addressed her, "Do not worry, you will not become one of them. You are destined to be my Empress. Together we shall rule the world. There are only a few armies from the remaining Kingdoms to dispose of."  
  
Sakura tried her best to stay composed in front of the young Emperor and replied in a slightly hoarse voice, "I will NEVER be yours." Her emerald eyes flashed in her annoyance and anger with him.  
  
"Well, I'm certain that you will be mine soon." He slowly walked up to Sakura. He placed his one hand on the chain the linked the cuffs and chanted a spell. Sakura watched as the chain disappeared. "Now, my little Princess, you can move in any direction 50 meters. That is just enough to include your room. I would link you to me, but then I would not be able to go anywhere without you. It is impossible to remove with any magic other than my own, and there is no lock to pick on the cuff. I will now show you to your quarters." He then grabbed Sakura's hand and led her to a room that was right next to the gardens. Inside the room it was dark and gloomy. Decorated in black and dark grays, it felt cold and detached from life. A bathroom was accessible from her quarters.  
  
She watched as the horrendous man who was the emperor departed her quarters. As he reached the door and turned around, "The maids will bring you your meals, my precious little Princess." He then turned on a heel and left the room.  
  
Sakura didn't know what was worse, her room or the garden graveyard. Just thinking of that horrid place sent a chill down her spine. Remembering the little girl she had seen she felt a great amount of sympathy for those who had had their lives cut short in such a painful manner.  
  
Touya was absolutely furious. His little sister had been captured by that insane and powerful Emperor. He needed to get her back. He quickly started to formulate a plan with what little knowledge he had of the Emperor's palace. He would need the help of Yue and Kero, but they would most definitely be willing to help since it is their Mistress that was captured by the vile man.  
  
The only problem is that to use the portal would immediately give their presence away. They would simply have to go there without magic. It would take much longer, which infuriated Touya, but dramatically increase their chances of rescuing her. He was always receiving comments on his stealth capabilities and his sixth sense that always let him know where Sakura was. And she was way too far away from him for his liking and in the hands of the enemy. He was determined that no matter what, he would rescue his little sister.  
  
Sakura found herself spending the first few days in her captivity trying to clean up the gardens a bit. She pulled weeds and used water from her sink to nurture the dying flowers. The only hard part for her was seeing the statues and knowing that at one time they had been living people. The suffering evident on the stone faces continuously brought tears to Sakura's eyes. Her heart was continuously going out to the little girl statue. It pained her to see the torture on such a young face from her dying moments that were captured in stone.  
  
She would continuously look at the one statue that she was linked to with the cuffs. The handsome young boy who had died and yet remained strong, facing his enemies without allowing them the sickening pleasure of hearing him scream in pain in his final moments. She often found herself looking at him and taking courage from the courage she knew he must have had. From his stubborn strength she found that she too could be strong in the face of so many tormented souls.  
  
She had figured that a large part of the reason she had been attached to the gardens was to slowly break down her resolve. She wished that she had her cards with her so that she could escape this dreary place. But then again, the cuff that was forcing her to remain a resident of this place also prevented her from using any of her powers. She could do nothing but try to remain strong as her heart was constantly being torn to pieces by simply being in such a horrendous place.  
  
As each moment passed by she became more desperate and found herself slowly loosing hope that she would ever be able to see those she loved again. She had even started to miss how Touya called her a Kaijuu. She wondered how her family and friends had been since her capture. Were they still alive and healthy or had they become victims of the war.  
  
It had been a few days since she had seen the young Emperor which was a slight relief to Sakura. Unfortunately it could not last much longer. As Sakura sat pulling weeds away from a patch of dying flowers she felt her captor approach her.  
  
He stood near the edge of the garden just watching as Sakura attempted to bring some of the bright vitality of the garden back. She struggled so hard to bring life back to the dead gardens that he had a hard time stifling a chuckle in amusement. As far as he was concerned her efforts were all in vain. These gardens had lost there true life when the first statue of a corpse was placed in its midst. At least that is what his family said. He did not even know which of the statues was the first; who was the first one to have died.  
  
Sakura stubbornly ignored his presence and continued to work on the removal of obstinate weeds. Unconsciously she moved towards the warrior statue; taking comfort in the shadow of the determined and courageous boy. As she studiously removed the undesired plants the Emperor approached her.  
  
"Do you like this place now?" His question carried no warmth in it and Sakura found herself unable to continue to ignore his presence. Looking up into his dark eyes that seemed to suck the life out of everything he lays his eyes upon; she felt her resolve slowly die. After all, how could she, a mere princess, possible stand up to the most powerful person to ever live?  
  
"No." It was all she could manage to croak out and she had to divert her gaze from him. She looked at the statue she stood under and took comfort in the courage that seemed to radiate from him. In a garden that was filled with death and despair, it was like a beacon of light that warmed her soul.  
  
Having gathered her wits about herself once more she met the Emperor's gaze with defiance. "So you take courage from those who were not strong enough to survive now." She didn't really know how to respond to this. He was simply stating the truth. "You will be mine; it is only a matter of time. You will be my Cherry Blossom."  
  
"I said I will never be yours." She put as much certainty into her voice as she could manage. Without realizing it she had grasped the empty hand of the warrior statue and was using it for moral support. As the young Emperor continued to stare into Sakura's eyes she tightened her grip and stared back in defiance.  
  
"I like your spirit, but it is only a matter of time before your resolve breaks and then you will be mine." Sakura felt everything go cold as he predicted her crumpling eventually under the pressure of the dreary atmosphere. She watched as his gaze shifted to the statue she was clinging to before speaking again. "The dead cannot save you from your fate; they had their time to live and are now dead."  
  
With an air of indifference in his stance, the Emperor left Sakura alone in the garden once again. She breathed out a sigh of relief and then started to cry. She desperately missed her friends and family and she didn't know how much longer she could stand to stay in this horrid place before her spirit broke. She clung desperately to the warrior statue as the tears streamed down her face.  
  
The immediate area around her statue was where the flowers were starting to live again. It was where she had begun her gardening efforts. The peonies near his feet were thriving; they seemed to have just been waiting for her to remove the weeds. The other flowers were slightly revitalized but seemed to need more time to recover still. She kept a distance in her gardening efforts from all the other statues because her weary mind could not stand to look at them close up. They crushed her spirit whereas the warrior reinforced her ability to stand up to the horror of the dead garden.  
  
It was another week before she saw the arrogant Emperor again. He approached her with a wicked grin spread across his face. His eyes spoke of hate and his desire to torture everything within his grasp. Sakura could feel tension building between them as she waited for him to speak. They both stood in the garden listening to the plants brush against one another in the slight breeze.  
  
After a short time he finally broke the silence, "I have a special gift for you." He glanced at one of the garden entrances and gestured for whoever was there to come in.  
  
Two guards entered dragging someone else into the garden. His dark brown hair and face were covered in dirt and his once piercing blue eyes were dull. Sakura let out an inadvertent gasp as she recognized the prisoner before her. It was her fiancé, the man she loved more than anything else.  
  
Before Sakura could say or do anything the Emperor had cast a spell upon her beloved. He was dropped immediately by the guards as he started to flail about on the ground in pain. Sakura could feel is aura, though it was never as strong as her own, tear into pieces. He began screaming as the pain became too great for him to withhold it any longer. To her horror, she could do nothing as she watched and through her magic senses, which were not dimmed by the magic restraining cuff, felt him slowly die. It was more horrible than anything she had ever seen before, not only had he died and turned to stone, his spirit was destroyed.  
  
She felt the tears running down her cheeks and realized that she had been crying. She felt like her heart was torn into tiny pieces and trampled by the horrid man who had captured her. Her mournful reverie was interrupted by the one who had so quickly destroyed her life. "You are no longer engaged. It is only a small amount of time before you shall be my Empress. I have arranged the marriage to take place in two weeks." Shocked by what she had recently witnessed and the sudden revelation, Sakura slowly sank to the ground as the Emperor once again left her by herself in the dreary garden that had a new statue added to its already daunting collection.  
  
She slowly crumpled up on the ground and slowly cried herself to sleep. It was dark when she woke up. She had never been in the garden after dark before and she found all of her nerves on edge. In the moonlight she could see all of the statues seeming to call out to her in agony; the wind was howling through the garden. Magic filled the air and allowed Sakura to see different people cast into stone.  
  
The first image she saw was of her own beloved Norio, it was very painful to watch her love die before her eyes again. The next image was of two young girls and a boy. They were crying for mercy as someone caste the evil spell. They howled in pain and begged to be forgiven. She recognized them and realized that they must have been brought to this place because they were in some sort of stone room when they turned to stone.  
  
The girl around ten was the next scene; she was crying for her mother. A young lady stood before her with a wicked grin on her face right as she cast the spell on her. Her crying increased in volume and her legs gave out beneath her. She screamed in agony as she died and her body turned to stone. Sakura wanted to help her and felt herself crying for the people who had died. Through the night Sakura saw in visions of the various statues ending moments. Each time it happened in a different place and a different person was the caster of the spell.  
  
As morning approached she had her last glimpse of the past. She saw the young warrior breathing heavily as he fought with three other warrior and a sorcerer. As he was fighting a sorceress appeared from behind and caste the horrid spell on him. He stumbled slightly as the waves of pain hit him. He clenched his jaw and put himself in a defensive position as he wearily watched his enemies who had withdrawn from their attack. His aura was bright and tried to fight the spell furiously but in the end he ended up in stone like all the others she had seen.  
  
As the last vision faded she slowly rose as up as the rays of the rising sun began to warm the air. Having seen all of the statues as the human they once were in the last moments of their existence made it harder for the Sorceress to stay in the garden of the dead. As she looked about she saw each of the statues as they once were. Her beloved looked slightly out of place in the garden because he was the only one without wings. She strangely wondered if wings would one day adorn his back.  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
Hopefully I'll be able to get this updated sooner than later.   
Thanks for reading, Please R&R, I appreciate it knowing what the readers think of my ideas and how I present them in the story. 


	2. To Escape

Ice Jayden: Standard disclaimers apply cause I don't own anything, that is, except the plot (if there is one).  
  
Cast In Stone  
  
To Escape  
  
Slowly Sakura turned her back on her fianc's stone form and went to her room to mourn. The days passed slowly and she found herself spending most of her time in her room instead of out in the garden. She didn't really notice that many of the flowers began to wilt once more and the weeds began to reclaim the areas that she had worked so hard to remove them from.  
  
Early one morning she was awoken from her slumber by a young girl who was anxiously watching her sleep. As she got up from bed the girl started to measure her without saying a word of explanation for her presence. Sakura was feeling slightly frustrated but the girl determinedly measured her. After she seemed satisfied she left Sakura alone once more. Like usual there was food sitting on a table just outside her door. Sakura still didn't feel like eating anything since the day her love was cruelly murdered right in front of her. She couldn't believe that the Emperor would be so spiteful.  
  
Slowly she made her way to the gardens. Each step she took was difficult and was slowly tearing her up from the inside. She felt the need to ask Norio for his forgiveness for just standing there rather than trying to save him from his untimely death.  
  
Crumpling to the ground in front of the lifeless statue that had at one time been the man Sakura had given her heart to she began to cry again and beg his forgiveness. "I'm so sorry; I should have done something when they brought you in. I should have saved you, but I didn't, please o please forgive me Norio."  
  
As Sakura cried away next to Norio frozen in his last moment of agony, a shadow moved into the garden slowly progressing towards Sakura. It went unnoticed by her until a large, cold hand covered her mouth. Her eyes widened in fear and she began struggling to get out of the unknown person's grasp.  
  
"Hey kaijuu, take it easy and be quiet." The words were whispered into the terrified girl's ear and she immediately relaxed as she recognized the voice. When she stopped struggling, her brother released his hold on her. "I couldn't leave you here to become some power-hungry emperor's wife. We need to leave now. The Emperor is off at some war front and has left his castle practically unguarded."  
  
With that Touya grabbed her wrist and they started running to the gate but being careful to keep in the shadows. Sakura suddenly remembered the means by which the Emperor had imprisoned her in his castle. "Wait Touya, he has me on a magical chain," Sakura whispered. Stopping, Touya looked at his sister expecting further explanation. "This cuff on my wrist can only be opened with his magic and it's linked to an identical cuff on one of the statues," Sakura croaked a little on the word as she remembered how Norio had died, "in the garden. The magical chain is only 50 meters long."  
  
Touya turned around, his eyes surveying the garden looking for the statue that had the other cuff attached to it. Sakura helped him by pointing to the only standing one. Upon seeing it he started to move towards it. "Touya, what are you going to do?" Sakura whispered to her brother as she followed him back to the statue of the young warrior.  
  
"Remove that cuff and bring it with us." His voice was determined and he continued to move quickly and quietly to the offending statue that kept his sister trapped in this dreadful garden.  
  
Sakura's eyes widened in dismay at the thought of him desecrating a dead person's body, even if it had been turned into stone. At the same time she knew that there would be no stopping him. It was the only way for her to escape. Unbidden tears started to flow down her cheeks once more in mourning for a victim of the accursed spell that killed people by casting them in stone.  
  
Turning away from Touya as he started to work at breaking the statue's wrist off, she allowed the tears to flow unheeded. A second later Sakura was knocked off her feet by a strong blast of magic. Giving a small groan she pushed herself back onto her feet and looked to where her brother was. Fear at what she would discover weighed heavily on Sakura.  
  
Her brother was getting up from where he had fallen on his back. A few feet in front of him was the young warrior lying on the ground. He was no longer stone but she noted that the body was obviously stiff as it was almost in the same position only no longer standing. The large golden- brown wings spread out from his back out of the green garment seamlessly. On the wrist with the cuff there was a small cut that was bleeding. The sword was gone and in its place was a red ribbon with an orb attached to it, it was a magic sword. Touya picked it up and put it a pouch at his waist.  
  
Sakura noticed then that her brother had moved in closer to the corpse. After he seemed to finish his examination he picked the body up, which was a bit awkward with the wings stiffly spread out behind its back and it was still in a fighting stance. "Come on Sakura, its time to go." Still staring at the strange scene Sakura slowly began to follow her brother out of the garden. He had looked rather annoyed when the wings got in his way, not to mention they made him a much larger moving object.  
  
They made their way out of the palace and into a nearby stable without anyone noticing them. Touya quickly saddled another horse while Sakura grabbed the two waiting for them. Taking some long rope that was in a nearby tack room Touya managed to fold the wings and then tie them to the boy's sides. He then placed the boy on one of the horses and tied him to the saddle like a sack of potatoes. He then mounted the other horse and lead the one with the winged boy while Sakura rode a little to the side and behind him.  
  
After traveling throughout most of the day and into the night, leaving virtually no trace of their passing, they managed to arrive at a base camp for a small group of rebels. As they entered Sakura noticed a few of her own friends in the group. Chiharu, Naoko, Rika, Tomoyo, and Eriol were all sitting in group talking. Yukito was bandaging up a young man who had a couple of deep gouges in his right should from a fight.  
  
To be continued...  
  
I know, this was a short chapter, but then again, my first chapter was longer than what I tend to write for a single chapter. Next chapter should be longer, after all, this was only their escape.  
  
Please REVIEW. I've recently been having problems with a writers block and appreciate any support I can get to plow through it. 


	3. Living Again

Thank you who reviewed the previous chapter...

**Serenia-sd**: Sorry for the long wait, I was way too slow...  
**AnimeAngel302**: He wakes up in this chapter. So much fun for me. Mwahahaha...  
**AnonymousT**: I know what you mean. I feel like its dragging too, and I'm writing it. It should pick up now that all the characters are together. Besides, the storyline is forming as I write it. Heheheh ;;;  
  
Ice Jayden: Standard disclaimers apply cause I don't own anything, that is, except the plot (Which is forming as I write.) This is my 'let it write itself' story. It wasn't writing itself very quickly for quite some time and I am really sorry about that.  
  
Cast In Stone  
  
Living Again  
  
Touya broke the silence that had enveloped the camp at their sudden arrival, "hey Yuki, I want you to give Sakura a quick check-up and this kid," he pointed to the young winged warrior tied to the horse, "needs some medical attention." At that Sakura who was about to dash into the embrace of her friends turned around to look closer at what she had thought was a corpse at first. She was then able to see that his chest moved slightly and fairly rhythmically as he breathed. He was alive, barely, but alive.  
  
Suddenly Sakura felt herself falling and a great weight on top of her. Tomoyo had effectively tackled her to the ground. She could see Kero flying just above her head.  
  
"So I take it that your speedy return means that the arrogant Emperor would never expect someone to sneak into his domain and so has it relatively unguarded." Eriol's voice was calm and carried the weight of someone beyond his years, and as usual he was smiling nonchalantly. He then looked towards Touya and Sakura. "Who is the 'kid'? Is he a guardian of the Emperor's like Yue and Ruby Moon are our guardians?"  
  
"No." Touya's statement was simple and without emotion. He then looked at Sakura with a funny expression on his face. "He was a garden statue that is magically attached to Sakura with these cuffs." He then pointed out the metal cuffs on the winged boy and Sakura's wrists.  
  
Sakura seemed to understand his questioning look at her and let out a weary sigh. "The statues in the garden were all living people at one time. It's a horrible spell that they use that kills, at least the emperor said it would kill the victim, and turns them into stone, the wings were added later for decoration." Sakura suddenly recalled watching as Norio had been turned to stone and broke down in a sob. "The Emperor, he captured Norio and ... and he turned him into a stone statue; I felt his aura disappear." Tears once again streaked down the young sorceress's dirty cheeks.  
  
Yukito, who had finished bandaging up the young man that Sakura didn't recognize came over to her and gently comforted her. He gave Sakura a quick examination and determined that she was physically healthy, if slightly malnourished from not eating since Norio's demise. When she was younger she had had a huge crush on him, now she knew about Yue and eventually she had fallen in love with Norio. Now Norio was gone too, but then again, maybe he was still alive within the stone.  
  
"So, how did he go from being a statue to a living, breathing person again?" The question Tomoyo asked brought Sakura back to the present. She looked to Touya for the answer.  
  
"I don't really know. I only managed to chip a small piece off his wrist in an attempt to break it off.

* * *

He was completely confused. One moment he had been locked in a furious battle and the next he was waking up with a horrendous headache with his face in the dirt. His thoughts were slightly fuzzy and his eyes refused to focus. He lay on the ground stock-still for a few moments before he was able to clear his mind and his eyes.  
  
He was in a forest. When he attempted to move his hands from behind his back they refused. It only took him a moment to realize that they were tied behind him. He felt slightly detached from his body and took in his situation with an odd serenity.  
  
It was then that he realized that his back felt like it was burning and freezing at the same time. Cold chills traveled up and down his spine while his upper back was swollen and burning. He felt something soft and feathery brush against his arms. Looking to one side he saw a huge wing tied to him. He didn't have any clue where it had come from or why it was there.  
  
He tried to free himself with a simple spell and then jolted completely awake as he felt the suppression of his magic.  
  
He lay there waiting to discover any useful details on his captors and their plans for him in his helpless state. As the hours passed and the sun rose he started to burn up. He knew he was ill and he couldn't do anything about it. Having his magic suppressed made it even worse since through what magic sense he had left he knew that his ailment was magic related.  
  
He watched carefully as the people in the camp surrounding him began to stir. A young girl with auburn hair and emerald eyes approached him while rubbing sleep from her eyes.  
  
She smiled at him and then said something in a language he didn't quite understand. It felt semi-familiar but he couldn't remember why or figure out what she was saying to him. He didn't really feel up to talking, his jaw was already clenched tight in his attempt to overcome his pain. His only response was to narrow his eyes and glare at her.  
  
She repeated what she had said earlier and waited for him to respond. Feeling the need to let her know, since she seemed rather oblivious about her prisoners language, spoke. He managed to say through his teeth, "I haven't the slightest clue what you are saying or what you want with me."  
  
Her expression changed from happy and cheerful to one full of confusion. She spent a few moments in thought and then she pointed to herself and said, "Kinomoto Sakura" and then pointed at him expecting a response. He didn't exactly feel obligated to tell his captors his name and wondered why they had taken him prisoner when they didn't even know who he was.  
  
As he continued to glare at her he felt sweat trickling down his face. His vision was becoming fuzzier but he continued to glare coldly at her. _Where did she get the idea that he'd be a cooperative prisoner?  
_  
She said something that sounded a lot like "hoe" in an anxious tone and watched him warily. Suddenly she walked up to where he was lying on the ground and placed the back of her hand on his forehead. She immediately pulled her hand back and looked at him with a worried expression.  
  
It was then that he noticed that she was wearing a magic cuff. That means she must be chained to something and she likely has magic since it also suppresses magic. She must be a prisoner too.  
  
His thoughts were getting fuzzier as he struggled to understand what was happening around him. Black spots appeared in his vision. He struggled to remain conscious, but lost the battle. He didn't even notice the young girl leave.

* * *

Sakura felt horrible for the young man who had been stuck as a statue for who knows how long and she has no way to talk to him to find out if they could even trust him. And to make his situation even worse, he was really sick.  
  
She hurried back to where the medical supplies are located. She grabbed some medicine to help bring down his fever as well as a clean cloth and a bowl filled with cold water.  
  
When she got back to where he was tied up he was already unconscious. She flipped him unto his back, which was slightly difficult because the wings kept stopping her from simply rolling him over. Grabbing the cloth she got it wet and started to wipe off his forehead.  
  
As she was wiping away the sweat she noticed that he was white as snow and no longer breathing. Panicking, she slapped his face as hard as she could. It left a red mark and he gasped in a little bit of air. His amber eyes flew open and he looked at Sakura as he struggled to breath.  
  
He then started to struggle out of Sakura's hold. His eyes squinted closed against the pain as he finally managed to turn onto his stomach. He then gave a small sigh of relief.  
  
Sakura felt slightly bewildered by his actions but then noticed that the wings on his back were shaking slightly within their bonds. She figured that it was painful for him to be on his back with the unnaturally attached wings.  
  
This complicated Sakura's job of helping him heal. _Well, at least now he's awake_. She shifted were she was sitting so that she could prop him up a bit. Forcing him to kneel, she tried to give him the medicine. He was determined not to take it.  
  
Sakura was not to be deterred in giving him his medication. After a few minutes of struggling with the boy, she went and got Eriol. With his help, him using his magic, she managed to force the boy to take the medicine. His shirt was drenched in spilled medicine from earlier struggles and he was glaring daggers at Sakura and Eriol.  
  
"There you are!" Sakura snapped up at Tomoyo's sudden interruption. "I've been looking all over for you. I made you the perfect dress and now that you're back and rested I'd like you to try it on." Tomoyo's eyes were sparkling with excitement.  
  
Tomoyo then dragged Sakura away to a tent while Eriol watched with a lazy smile on his lips. He took one last glance at the 'prisoner' and then left.

* * *

Syaoran was angry. The stuff he'd been forced to drink was absolutely revolting and he still couldn't figure out why his back felt like it was on fire. Something on his back was shaking slightly and he could feel a slight breeze. Looking to the side he noticed that the monstrous wings tied to him were quivering.  
  
Syaoran's heart grew heavy upon his realization. _The wings were His_. He was left wondering at how much had happened to him after he blacked out during his battle. He could remember pain right before it happened, and something else was happening. If he could only remember...  
  
_A large group of Sorcerers had decided to form an Empire that would cover the entire Earth. They're first target was their greatest threat, the Chinese Kingdom. They had managed to take out most of the Sorcerers including Syaoran's mother. She had been the most powerful Sorceress alive in the world.  
  
While they weren't as powerful, they had greater numbers. They were attacking the castle proper now; rooting out the last of the royal family and its defenders. They wanted to gain the vast amounts of magical knowledge that the Li Sorcerers had acquired over the years.  
  
The tomes that held that knowledge were burning now. There was no way that the Li's could win this battle, it was now a matter of not allowing them to have access to so much power.  
  
Syaoran could smell the smoke from the fires in the libraries from the garden he was standing in. He held his sword in a defensive position while eyeing the three warriors who had entered it. He was guarding the North entrance into the palace proper.  
  
The one in the center approached him head on while the other two moved to his two sides to surround him.  
  
In one swift movement the one in the middle and the one on his right charged at him. As he blocked their swords the third began a mad dash for the door to the palace. They were desperate to save some of the magical knowledge that's currently burning away in the library; information that Syaoran has been studying his entire life but would never share with the enemy.  
  
Knocking the two warriors away from himself he back flipped to land in the path of the third. He was soon locked in combat with the three warriors. All his training coming to the fore as he parried, slashed, blocked, counterattacked, and so forth.  
  
As he was battling the three he picked up a strong magical aura entering the garden. Spells were suddenly being caste in his direction forcing him to use his magic as well as fight. It was getting more difficult for Syaoran to defend himself now, much the less defend the entrance.  
  
Sweat poured down his face as the battled dragged on. He carried many small cuts, but his opponents were no better off. In the back of his mind he felt the entrance of the second and more powerful mage. He was stuck in combat and had no way to defend himself when her spell hit him in the back.  
  
A searing pain ran through his entire body. The four attackers stepped back from him to watch as her spell took affect. He could feel the magic trying to tear his soul to pieces, but used his own magic to hold himself together. He stood defensively incase anyone dared attack him again. He gritted his teeth together in pain as he stood defiant of his quivering muscles and staggering amounts of pain. He could feel his body stiffen and knew he was being changed into something else, stone. Everything went dark.  
_  
He was turned to stone. Syaoran paled and remained clueless as to the wings appearance upon his back. He had been stone, _but for how long?_ It made his head hurt just thinking about it.  
  
A man with dark brown hair and eyes was approaching him. He had a magical aura quite a bit weaker than Syaoran's and it was untrained. He started speaking in a low and slightly menacing tone in that same strange language. Syaoran blanched at the implication that these people had no way to communicate with him and vice versa.  
  
A few more men approached and held him while they untied him. Syaoran was completely confused by their actions. The wings spread out to their full span of their own accord. His hands were brought in front of him and one of the men started to remove old bandages and then clean the wounds and rewrap them.  
  
It was then that Syaoran noticed the cuff on his wrist. _So that is what is suppressing my magic_. He felt slightly frustrated at not having a clue as to what was going on. He had been cast in stone most likely a very long time and the languages had changed over the years.

I Love Reviews, they help me get stuff done a bit faster. I know, this chapter took way too long to do. I will have to try and get the next update done a lot faster. Hope you liked it, well, you can review it to let me know. And don't forget to Smile!!! 


	4. For Interaction

Ice Jayden: I do not own CCS in any way, shape, or form. Although I am very glad that CLAMP created such an intriguing story. I just like to play with their characters, and in this story put them in a completely different universe.  
  
I give my thanks to all those who were courteous enough to review the last chapter.  
  
**Ranya:** It continues... NOW.   
**Serenia-sd:** I be very glad you like.   
**Ashi-Chan:** Now there's more...   
**Me-101:** You SMILED!!! I jump around and do a funky jig (or pretend to)   
**Time Warp:** Interesting... hmmm, I like that.   
**Smiles:** I want them to communicate too, so hard to write that though, but it happens before this Chapter ends. I like smiles!  
  
Cast In Stone  
By Ice Jayden  
  
For Interaction  
  
It didn't take long for them to change his bandages. They retied his hands behind his back and then folded the wings and tied them to his sides once again. His back felt slightly better after the wings had stretched, but it still hurt immensely.  
  
Syaoran then watched as they packed up the camp, careful not to leave any trace of their presence behind. Syaoran was forced to ride like a sack of potatoes strapped to the back of the horse once again with his obnoxious wings tied to his back. It was embarrassing and irritating to ride in such a strange position even if he was a prisoner.  
  
They carefully traveled half the day within the cover of the forest. Syaoran wasn't sure what they were hiding from, but from their actions he knew that they were afraid of discovery. A blue haired, bi-spectacled young sorcerer, the same one who had forced medicine down his throat, covered up their tracks using simple spells that were extremely difficult to trace within a few minutes of being cast.  
  
The new camp was set up in utter silence. Only the small ticks of tent pieces knocking into each other and the ruffling of cloth could be heard. After two hours they had finished setting up camp and Syaoran was removed from the horse's back.  
  
He then was tossed unceremoniously to the ground where he lay face first in the dirt. His back was on fire again and he was feeling very irate. He grit his teeth against the pain and began to try to figure out what had happened that had landed him in his current predicament.  
  
Before he could really try to solve his little mystery the young girl, Kinomoto, came up to him and began to talk. She would point to different things in the surrounding area and say something. He figured she was trying to teach him her language. She then pointed to him and waited for a response. Once again all she received for her efforts was a killer glare.  
  
Seemingly exasperated, she walked away. Syaoran had paid attention to her little lesson though and was starting to understand some of what they were saying. He figured they must being speaking a slightly different version of Japanese than what he had learned. Some of the words were similar but not enough for him to understand it immediately.  
  
He then tried to catch tidbits of what is captors were saying. "We ... down the ... finds us ... before ... kills us ... long ... does ... that!" "... we ... sorcerers ... us ..." "Sakura ... most powerful sorceress ... cards!" "... magic ..." "... the more powerful ... Clow Reed."  
  
At the mention of Clow Reed, one of Syaoran's greatest ancestors, he found himself trying harder to understand what they were saying.  
  
"But Clow Reed ... the beginning ... Magical Renaissance Era, an era that ... extinguished and only ... have any ... remaining knowledge from that era!"  
  
He continued to listen and was slowly finding himself able to pick up more and more of the conversation.

* * *

After another unsuccessful attempt at learning the young man's name she returned to where everyone had gathered. They were talking about all the problems of the Empire. Eriol was talking about their strangle hold on any magical knowledge and how they destroy any Sorcerers not under their control. "... wanted just for being born with magic. Those that don't join the Empire are killed and those that do are taught only the common spells and then hunt down those who are still free. It's getting harder and harder to remain hidden."  
  
"We need to bring down the Empire before he finds us and kills us. It wont be long before he does just that!"  
  
"How, we are a few dozen total, he has more sorcerers than us and troops to spare!!!"  
  
"Sakura has the potential to be the most powerful sorceress ever with her cards!"  
  
"But she can't use magic right now!"  
  
"So have Eriol remove the magic restraining cuff, he's more powerful than the Emperor himself. He is, after all, the half reincarnation of Clow Reed."  
  
"But Clow Reed was at the beginning of the Magical Renaissance Era, an era that the Empire extinguished and only the most loyal Imperials have any of the remaining knowledge from that era!"  
  
"Hmm, I am unfamiliar with the cuff restraints and I have no memories from Clow on how to remove them but I can try a few spells and hope that something works."  
  
Eriol then got up and moved to where Sakura was sitting. She looked up at him and gave him an encouraging smile. She was tired of having her magic restrained; being nothing more than a burden on those she loved. She was supposed to be all-powerful, but she could do nothing right now.  
  
Eriol began chanting and trying various spells that are meant to unlock locks to those that are supposed to render spells on objects obsolete. After he had gone through a myriad of spells unsuccessfully he gave Sakura an apologetic look and then stated to all those present that he could not remove the cuff from her wrist.  
  
It was like a heavy weight had descended upon Sakura's heart at learning that the Emperor's threat that only he could remove the cuff was true.

* * *

Syaoran was now able to put a few clues together in solving why he is stuck as a prisoner to these people. It was obvious to him that Sakura is not a prisoner, in fact they probably somehow changed him back from his stone state when they 'rescued' Sakura from whomever it was that had put the cuff on her and him, most likely in his statue form, in the first place.  
  
He also now knew that Sakura is the Card Mistress, he hoped that she had converted the Clow Cards to be her own already. His mother was always saying that only the master of the Clow Cards could destroy the Empire that had formed, and that the master would not be born for many generations yet. He had taken the Clow Book to Japan to be kept safe by their royal family until the one destined to master them arrived. That was a few months before his mother had died and a little over three months before China had collapsed. It was slightly mind boggling that he was at least 'many generations' from the time he had originally been born.  
  
He couldn't be completely sure of anything but it seemed to sort of make sense to chain a prisoner to a statue, which is what he must have been at the time. It was also obvious that the people who were opposing, he guessed, the Empire did not know very much magic, especially if the blue haired boy is supposed to be extremely skilled as the end of the conversation seemed to be hinting at.  
  
He spent an awful long time trying to remove the cuff and obviously didn't realize that it requires a specific counter spell to be removed by another or a special spell that the Li's were taught so that they couldn't be caught by their own tricks. He just couldn't remove his own cuff at the time, at least not without it being in contact with the other one.  
  
He then noticed that the dark haired, magically untrained guy was fiddling with something small on a red ribbon. Something he immediately recognized as his sword in its false form. Anger consumed him as he glared death straight at the man who dared to play with his sword.  
  
He watched as the dark haired guy handed his sword to the blue haired sorcerer. He seethed as the sorcerer attempted to change transform it into a sword. He felt a bit of pride when the sorcerer conceded defeat. Only Syaoran could use that sword, it was magically tuned to him. He had made it to show that he had graduated to a full fledge sorcerer.  
  
They were talking now, but they were too far away for him to hear what they were saying. While he had finally managed to understand what his captors were saying for the most part, he was unsure of whether or not he would actually be able to speak their Japanese well enough for them to understand him.  
  
The Card Mistress, Kinomoto, was at his side again with some food and water. She would tear a piece of bread off the slice and try to shove it into his mouth. He promptly avoided the bread, this was more humiliating than being strapped to the back of the horse. Besides, he didn't know her, he only knew that she is the Card Mistress, or at least according to what he'd overheard she is supposed to be the Card Mistress.  
  
He didn't really want to believe this girl was so powerful, but even worse was the fact that he was in a very different time than when he was raised. He didn't know how customs may have changed over the years and his mother had hinted towards millennia before the Card Master's time. He didn't like having been around for such a long time to see both the rise and the fall of the Empire.  
  
He heard her sigh in exasperation and called out, "Eriol, I need your help again. He is so stubborn!" Well, now was as good as anytime to attempt to break the language barriers and hopefully be able to eventually prove himself trustworthy.  
  
"Why should I trust you?" Syaoran asked the question in a monotonous voice. He watched as Kinomoto's eyes widened in surprise and a "hoe" passed through her lips. He couldn't help but smirk in amusement.  
  
As she was finally overcoming her shock, Eriol arrived to help Sakura force feed him. It was then that Syaoran was able to put a name to the blue haired sorcerer. "Eriol, he can speak Japanese!" she stated enthusiastically.  
  
Eriol raised one eyebrow and smiled knowingly at Syaoran. He glared in response. He didn't know why but he really wanted to wipe that smug look right off of Eriol's face. That smile was unnerving and irritated Syaoran.  
  
"Well, so after almost an entire day you have decided to talk."  
  
"I had to listen and learn first, Japanese is not the same as when I first learnt it."  
  
"Yet you can speak proficiently enough, must be a fast learner. So, _who_ are you?"  
  
"Why should I tell _you_ who _I_ am? I am at a disadvantage here. I do not know even know when we are much the less know if you are a trustworthy person. And I am the one with his arms stuck behind his back."  
  
Syaoran was feeling extremely frustrated. Their conversation was going no where, and he just wasn't a very trusting person to begin with. He didn't really want to give his name out to complete strangers, especially since he has no idea of how the Li Clan is portrayed in their history books. At least he was pretty sure that the entire Clan is history, except him.  
  
His entire Clan was secretive, which was a large factor in their downfall. They did not form many alliances and they did not share their knowledge with the rest of the world. It led them to be a main target for the forming Empire, with the vast amounts of powerful secrets that the Li's had kept from the world. In some senses, the Li's refusal to share their knowledge with others and then their defeat by the Imperials led to a more powerful Empire who now holds scraps of those powerful secrets.  
  
On the other hand, if the Li's had shared the knowledge, it is possible that the Imperials would have been able to take over the entire world quickly with their vast numbers of less powerful sorcerers who would then have had more knowledge and abilities to overthrow the more powerful and less numerous sorcerers of his time. The entire world would likely be enslaved to the Empire if the Li's knowledge had been common among sorcerers.  
  
"I suppose you are right. It has been a millennium since the formation of the Empire. Does that tell you how long you were stuck in stone?" He smiled nonchalantly once again as though they were discussing the weather.  
  
"Yes." _A millennium stuck in stone. A lot can happen in a millennium_.  
  
"Well, are you going to share, we are a bit curious as to when you are from."  
  
"Why are you concerned about when I am originally from? I know of when the Empire was formed and I shall leave it at that unless you can give me a really good reason to tell you."  
  
"You are a bit of a mystery. Your clothes hint towards the Chinese Kingdom, which was the first to be destroyed by the Empire. You were stone for, until you tell us, an unknown but likely a very long time. You carried a magic sword from what I've heard, which until your appearance were a thing of myths. And you are, as you hinted at, our prisoner unless we deem you trustworthy to release. It is up to you to earn that trust."  
  
A fowl taste seemed to enter his mouth as he prepared to give some personal information. It was hard for him to give out anything to this cocky stranger, but he did need his trust. That didn't mean he had to tell them exactly who he is though.  
  
"I _saw _the Chinese Kingdom fall from the frontlines." That statement placed him but it did not reveal what side he was on. He was fairly certain that his captors opposed the Empire, but he didn't want to take any chances that a spy might be among them. If he said that he was there and opposing the Empire, they would gain more information than he felt like giving out at this point. _Let them guess_, he thought.  
  
Wow, another chapter finally up. It was hard and fun to write all at the same time. So what do you think? Please leave a REVIEW!!! I love Smiles : ) Thankz lotz. 


	5. Dungeon Dilemma

Ice Jayden: I own nothing. (Well, the plot is mine, and I suppose a few of the character are/will be mine. None of 'my' characters have names in this story, yet.)  
  
Thanks to all those who reviewed  
  
**WizaDanU:** Hope you patience lasted till now, and if not, well... here's the next chapter anyways.   
**Serenia-sd:** If you thought that was ending evil, well I guess I was only beginning to show my true colors. This is another cliffie.   
**Kittyfaerie3000:** Glad you like, took me longer than I wanted. Had a family get together and couldn't work on it for a little while.   
**SakK:** I feel so happy, you like my writing!!!   
**Smiles:** The next chapter is here, I leave it hanging again. Thanks for the smile : )   
**Tzuky:** I like this story too. I updated as quickly as I could.   
**Me101:** You Smiled!!! Thanks so much.  
  
Cast In Stone  
  
Dungeon Dilemma  
  
Sakura listened intently as Eriol talked to the young man. She watched him closely, observing how his face moved as he talked around the subject. He did not give information about himself easily. She was very correct in her observance, he is very stubborn.  
  
"I _saw_ the Chinese Kingdom fall from the frontlines."  
  
"Hoe!?" She was halfway surprised and halfway pleased that she had indeed recognized the style of his clothes. _But what did he mean by frontlines? What side was he on?_ Sakura recalled the dream she had of all the stoned people in their last moments of life, his had been a battle; _the one where China fell?_ Unfortunately her dream was hazy and she had forgotten it almost completely and so she had no clue what side he was on, just that he had fought against greater numbers and used magic.  
  
Before Eriol could continue his interrogation, a familiar whine broke into Sakura's thoughts. "Sakura! I'm hungry and wasting away. I _NEED_ food!" Kero flew around her head anxiously while eyeing the bread she still held in her hand. He preferred cakes and loved pudding, but out in the wilderness they carried a limited variety of food and none of it was sweets.  
  
"Hey, umm, don't mind him. He's always like this." She said while looking into the boy's amber eyes. Kero took note of her talking to the boy and puffed up his chest proudly and introduced himself, "I am the Mighty Keroberos, Sun Guardian of the Sakura Cards and their Mistress, Sakura."  
  
"You're pretty high and mighty for a stuffed animal." Kero growled angrily at the boy who insulted him. While they glared at each other Kero yelled at the top of his lungs, "I'm NOT a Stuffed Animal! You Gaki!!!"  
  
Eriol smiled serenely as though he had not been in the process of interrogating anyone moments before. The sun glinted eerily off of his glasses as he watched the 'prisoner' fight with Kero.  
  
Sakura watched in dismay as the boy, who she still did not have a name for, swapped insults with Kero. Kero was flying around above the boy's head in agitation and he kneeled there with his hands tied behind his back glaring daggers at the little guardian beast. It was a funny sight and Sakura let out a giggle at their childish display. Not to mention the boy seemed to have forgotten that he was not really in a position to be throwing insults.  
  
At the sound of Sakura's laughter, both of them stopped their insults and looked at her. Kero raised an eyebrow at her while the boy turned his head away from her so that she could not see his face.  
  
Slightly embarrassed, Sakura stifled her laughter. It was then that she remembered the reason why she had called for Eriol in the first place. Well, now the boy was at least talking to them so maybe now she'd be able to convince him to eat. They could continue the interrogation after he had eaten. It was almost evening and the only thing he had consumed thus far was the medicine they had stuffed down his throat that morning.  
  
"Will you please eat?" Sakura pleaded. He did not even look at her while Kero nearly popped a vessel in agitation. "Sakura, _I'm_ hungry!"  
  
The boy turned to look at Sakura in the eyes. "I'll eat if you untie me and let me feed myself. And if you promise that I will remain untied I will remove the cuffs."  
  
"Hoe?! You know how to remove the cuffs?" Hope at being free from the accursed cuffs blossomed within Sakura. She noticed that Eriol seemed to look at the boy with renewed interest. Unfortunately they were soon interrupted.  
  
Before he could respond a loud crashing noise took their attention. At the southern edge of the camp a troop of soldiers and a few sorcerers emerged. They immediately began attacking and Sakura could only watch as her brother along with most of the rebels began fighting back.  
  
Eriol raced to where the fighting was taking place since he is the only sorcerer available to defend the camp with the help of his guardians. Sakura's guardians were stuck in their false forms indefinitely. Until the magic repressor is removed from Sakura, they can't use their powers for they rely on hers.  
  
Kero flew above her shoulder while she sat near the winged boy. Tomoyo and a few of the other non-fighters of the group joined her. Sakura felt like a big burden without her powers.  
  
That train of thought brought back what the boy she was sitting next to had just said. She looked at him and then asked, "If I untie you, will you remove the cuffs immediately and help me ward off these soldiers?"  
  
He took a quick glance at Kero, which slightly confused Sakura before looking at her in the eyes again. He then said a quick "hai" before looking away again.  
  
Sakura, with the help of Tomoyo, began untying the young boy. In her rush she found it difficult to stop her fingers from quivering as she attempted to remove the knots in the ropes. Tomoyo was much better and faster at untying the knots. Her fingers were calm and loosened the binds with ease from years of practice with her sewing.  
  
Tomoyo managed to untie his ankles and his wings, which had immediately spread out, while Sakura was still struggling to untie his wrists. Sakura saw out of the corner of her eye Tomoyo being lifted up and away by one of the soldiers.  
  
Before she could truly react to her friend's predicament, Sakura felt herself being lifted up by someone. A moment later both of her hands were forced behind her back and she was carried away from her hope. She realized then that she was a prisoner of the Emperor once more.

* * *

Syaoran was almost free when a number of soldiers came and grabbed those who were avoiding the fight. The stuffed animal had been thrown into a bag while the girls were picked up or dragged off to where they were keeping their prisoners from the attack. Nearly everyone from the camp was already being tied up. Many of the fighters showed signs of having been taken out by a simple sleep spell.  
  
The 'soldiers', at least that's what he figured they were, weren't paying him any attention. At least they weren't yet. He started to work on pulling his wrists free from his loosened bonds while keeping an eye on the soldiers. It didn't take long before he felt his wrists come free.  
  
He quickly stood up, or at least he tried to. No sooner had he made it up to his knees than his muscles gave out and he fell to the ground. He saw soldiers started in his direction; they weren't ignoring his presence any more. Ignoring his stiff muscles, he managed to get on his feet. He stood leaning slightly forward to compensate for the foreign weight of the wings that adorned his back.  
  
He could feel the muscles in his legs quacking at being used again after such a long time. While his mind did not feel the years, his body was still going through the shock of having been a statue for a millennium. He wasn't sure that he would be able to put up any fight with how his weak he was feeling.  
  
He then also noticed that he was slightly dizzy and his vision was continuously swimming. He realized with a sinking sensation that he was more ill than he had realized. If it wasn't for those stupid wings he'd probably be okay and his body wouldn't be nearly as weak as it is.  
  
Two soldiers were coming to bring him in with everyone else. As Syaoran moved slightly to prepare himself for a fight, they drew their swords from their sheaths. One started to sprint towards Syaoran, his sword raised in attack.  
  
Syaoran managed to dodge his sword by jumping back slightly. His legs felt as though a thousand thorns were wedged into his skin and he had already begun to sweat. The first man turned back around and slashed at his legs while the second one lunged at his chest. Syaoran bent and jumped at the same instant, avoiding both swords.  
  
As he twisted his body around, one of his wings slammed into the second guy's stomach knocking the wind out of him, causing him to collapse. Syaoran landed next to him and quickly took his sword. His back was throbbing even worse now from the strain of the wing impacting the man who was struggling to regain his breath.  
  
The first man was more leery about approaching Syaoran now that it he had seen him fight a little. Of course, how he knocked the one guy out of the fight was pure accident, Syaoran had forgotten for a few seconds that he had huge wings sticking out of his back.  
  
They slowly circled each other. Syaoran was tired and knew that he wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer. But he had to at least try, if he managed to completely free the Card Mistress they stood a good chance of turning this battle, if you could call it that, completely around.  
  
Syaoran was the first to strike and the other soldier blocked. They matched each other blow for blow, neither gaining any obvious advantages. Syaoran glared and was careful to keep just how exhausted he truly was from his face.  
  
Soon a crowd of soldiers formed around them to watch the fight. They cheered their comrade on and Syaoran knew that unless he got out of this fight quickly, there would be no chance of escaping. Straining tired muscles, he leapt out of the circle of soldiers who gawked at the sudden unexpected escape.  
  
As he was landing he felt a strong pressure on his back before he found himself turned around and landing on his back rather than his feet. One of his wings had caught in a tree and flipped him mid jump. Pain shot threw him and his vision turned black. It took all of his concentration to keep breathing.  
  
He didn't even feel the soldiers as they grabbed him to retie him. He lost all consciousness within a few seconds.

* * *

Sakura felt horrible. Not only is she once more a captive of that horrendous Emperor, but now her friends and brother are too. She was tied up next to Tomoyo and Chiharu. Her brother was tied up next to Eriol, whose hands were cuffed behind his back with the magic repressing kind, across the small clearing. Nakaru and Spinel were forced back into their false forms. Spinel had been placed in the same bag as Kero and Nakaru was tied up just like everyone else.  
  
The young winged boy was deposited in another spot where he was retied. He wasn't conscious and Sakura worried at what might have happened to him. She was tied up with her back to where he had been.  
  
It was also infuriating, she had been free for barely more than a full day, and not completely free for that time either. How she wished she had been faster at untying those ropes, then he would have completely freed her and she would have been able to save her friends from the suffering they were bound to be forced to endure soon.  
  
It was late and it looked as though the Imperials were going to be staying here the night. They already had a couple of guards positioned to watch the camp as well as their captives. The only nice thing is that no one is dead. The Emperor must have wanted them all taken alive. Why, she wasn't sure.  
  
As the night slowly drug on, Sakura was unable to resist sleep and so by the time the sun rose she was resting peacefully. She was roughly awoken by one of the soldiers. All of the prisoners were forced to stand up and then were shackled to each other in a line. After they were all secured the soldiers started them marching to the Imperial palace where their fates would be decided. The walk was long and hard.  
  
As they were walking through some thick brush on the fading trail they were suddenly stopped. Sakura watched as a bunch of soldiers looked to a place along the line behind her. Turning around she saw what they were watching so intently.  
  
The winged boy had fallen down and was apparently unconscious once more. He was removed from the line and thrown onto the back of a horse in front of a sorcerer. She noted that his wings had been tied again and he looked extremely pale and a bit feverish. With the problem solved she was forced to turn around and continue on her trek to the palace once again.  
  
It took two days of traveling before they reached the palace. The young boy had been tied to a horse and led by a sorcerer on the second day even though he had woken up. He was looking even worse and Sakura found herself worrying that he would not survive to tomorrow.  
  
They were all placed in separate cells in the dungeon of the castle. Sakura could see Tomoyo across the hall from her. That night a servant brought them all some bread and water. The bread was stale and partially burnt while the water was murky. Overwhelming hunger forced Sakura to endure the awful meal.  
  
It was a full two days of agonizing boredom and nasty meals before the Emperor sauntered in. He took one look at Sakura and started to smirk. "So, you now know just how futile it is to try to leave me. You are mine, now and forever."  
  
Sakura was nonplused by his little speech and looked into his cold, dark eyes without fear. Agitation at having been cooped up for too long seeped into her voice, "I have said it before and I will say it again, 'I will _NEVER_ be yours!'"  
  
"Tisk tisk, a young lady like you really ought not to raise her voice in such an undignified manner, especially in such a pointless protest." Sakura watched him as he looked down the dungeon hall, "that is, if you want your brother to live."  
  
"HOE!!! You can't do that."  
  
"Why not, I am the Emperor and he kidnapped my bride to be, stole a horse along with our favorite garden statue. That is more than enough reason to..."  
  
"He did not kidnap me, he rescued me!" Sakura snapped at the top of her voice, cutting him off, outraged that he could accuse her brother of such a ridiculous crime.  
  
"... put him to death. I am being generous to let him live at all." He was completely unfazed by Sakura's accusation. His eyes then narrowed at her. "So, where is your other cuff? And just what did your brother do to my statue?"  
  
Sakura felt her eyes widen in shock, _did he not realize that the 'statue' was currently one of the prisoners in the dungeon?_ She kept her thought silent and refused to answer him. _As long as he didn't realize where the other cuff is located, he can't move her in more than a 50 meter radius from wherever the boy is.  
_  
  
Don't know if you noticed, but I will occasionally use a Japanese word, simply because it fits better in what I feel the character is saying than the English translation. But I will not use suffixes on names because I really don't understand all the rules and don't feel like doing it all wrong. What can I say, I'm an American who enjoyed watching the subtitled version of CCS. (The dubbed was all messed up and I don't like Li as a first name, and Madison is just wrong for Tomoyo's name.)  
  
Hey, don't forget to leave me a review and tell me what is good and what could be improved. I shall try to get the next chapter up soon, but I can't make any guaranties.


	6. Eternal Marriage

Ice Jayden: I own nothing. Such a simple phrase, but a disclaimer nonetheless (I like that word). Oh, but this obscure and almost nonexistent plot is mine. It forms as I write. Hehehe, this story only had a thought out beginning, which I have passed a long time ago. Everything here on out is just as much an adventure for me, the writer, as it is for you, the reader.  
  
I must thank my reviewers, they brighten up my day letting me know the story is actually read and appreciated.  
  
**Serenia-sd:** Updating two days in a row is highly unlikely, but maybe one day I'll make it happen just for you. I won't be updating tomorrow, but I will try to get the next chapter up soon. I still gotta figure out exactly what happens and that takes time. So please have some patience. I hope that I won't be evil so much anymore, besides, my roommates tend to think I'm more of the chaotically insane type.   
**AnnieS23:** So happy you like, and here be the update.   
**Kittyfaerie3000:** Glad you understand my lack of super-speed updates. I'm just not the fastest writer.   
**Me101:** Thanks for the smile, and I shall smile right back at you : )   
**AnimeAngel302:** She didn't know if he had been stoned by the Emperor's ancestors or the Li's, afterall, most of the secret spells that the Empire contains is from the salvaged Li texts. Sorry I didn't make that clear, but she does figure out that he isn't Imperial, although I don't think I ever state it, and it is rather obvious who's side he's on in this chappy.   
**Smiles:** Thanks so much!!! I have had a few very nice days. I even got to spend some time in someone's yard weeding, and strange as that may sound, I really enjoyed it. I was finally able to play in the dirt again and scare little bugs.   
**Rosie:** Yeah!!! You love it, well I do too. If I didn't I would have started writing more on one of my other random ideas that I have, and I have quite a few of them. When I finish this I'll pick up and write one of them down.   
**Commander Cheddar:** I hope that I'll be able to keep writing well, I believe that is the main goal of any writer, that and having a good story idea. Oh, and I really, REALLY like your name, my favorite cheese is Sharp Cheddar, and I absolutely LOVE cheese.  
  
Cast In Stone   
Eternal Marriage  
  
one day later  
  
Sakura slowly woke and ate her meager meal. After the Emperor had returned the other afternoon she had been brought a nice meal. This morning her breakfast consisted of toast and eggs.  
  
Right after she had finished the Emperor arrived and stood outside her cell. A few guards that had been following moved farther into the dungeon. Sakura glared at him, a silent challenge to his authority. He only smirked in response.  
  
Another guard came and opened her cell. Sakura was then forced to follow the Emperor out of the dungeon and up the stairs. When she entered a large room the guard pulled her to a stop. She was turned around, allowing her to see two guards restraining her brother and another two on the winged boy.  
  
The guard behind her shoved her to where the Emperor stood and she saw the winged boy pushed next to her. Their wrists with the cuffs were only inches apart as the Emperor held his hand slightly above and between them and chanted a spell. Sakura watched in slight trepidation as the chain links reappeared.  
  
"I can't very well leave you linked to another man, now can I? You didn't forget that we are getting married this afternoon?" Horror filled Sakura as she realized that before the days end all hope of her ever being able to defeat the Emperor would be lost. He meant to bind her magic and soul to him permanently.  
  
He then grasped the cuff on the boy's wrist and caste a spell. Sakura barely noticed that it fell away from his wrist as she was still slightly in shock from the Emperor's announcement. After having been blind to his aura for the entire time he was wearing the cuff Sakura was slightly shocked. It was a side effect of wearing a magic repressor; no one can feel their magic because it is being repressed. She knew the boy was a sorcerer; he had been using a magic sword before he was stoned and she had had a vision of him using magic.  
  
The shock was that even without a magic repressor on his wrist, she could not feel his aura. _He must know how to hide it._ Sakura almost felt like jumping for joy, maybe, just maybe they'll be able to escape after all. Taking a closer look at the winged warrior her heart dropped again. He looked severely ill and most likely incapable of doing anything to escape their current prison.  
  
She watched as he was dragged back down to the dungeon. Now there were only a few guards, the Emperor, herself, and Touya in the room. Touya looked ready to kill the Emperor as the guards at his sides were straining to hold him still.  
  
She noted that he was gagged and had both arms tied behind his back. The Emperor only laughed at him before turning his attention back to Sakura. "You will be taken to a dressing room where maids will dress you for the wedding. If you give them any trouble your brother will feel the punishment."  
  
"What?! You can't! Leave Touya alone! He hasn't done anything!"  
  
"Oh, I thought I told you last night of his crimes. You are mine, and no matter how much you protest it won't change that fact. It will only determine how many of your friends live through the night and how many scars your brother will gain." He then looked at the guards, "take her to her dressing room."  
  
Before Sakura had a chance to retort she was dragged away. She could see her brother red with rage and ... _tears streaming down his face? Is he crying for me?  
_  
She was shoved into a room with four young girls in servant attire. She allowed them to wash her till her skin shone and they dressed her in an elegant white dress. The whole time she reminded herself that Touya's life depended on her cooperation. The maids were quiet the entire time.  
  
They were careful to avoid the cuff on her wrist that was linked to the open cuff. Sakura watched it swing back and forth, taunting her with its open clasp.  
  
She saw and felt them apply the makeup onto her face. After what felt like an eternity to Sakura, but could only have been a few hours, they led her to a mirror. She looked like some type of masterpiece that sparkled radiantly. Even without a smile she looked gorgeous.  
  
The dress had a flower pattern out of beads sewn on. The sleeves went to her wrists and the skirt flowed just millimeters above the floor. The veil was soft and had the same flower pattern out of beads.  
  
The train dragged about ten feet behind her, also embroidered with the same flower design. One maid opened the door while the other three picked up the train and followed as Sakura was led out.  
  
Guards led and followed the procession to a garden. Beautiful flowers were blooming everywhere. Brilliant colors and scents filled the area and Sakura was able to forget for a few moments what she was walking towards.  
  
Without even realizing it Sakura walked down the isle, taking in the wondrous flowers that bloomed on every side. Looking up, she forgot the beauty that surrounded her and her situation came back to the forefront of her mind.  
  
There, just a short ways ahead was the Emperor in a tuxedo. A sorcerer stood imposingly in front of him. Off to the side a short ways stood a number of guards and her brother. He was still tied and gagged and she could see now that he was trembling with rage.  
  
She forced herself to walk the rest of the way to where the Emperor awaited her. Tears ran down her cheeks as her heart broke, _all hope is gone now_. The sorcerer who stood in front of her and the Emperor began chanting the eternal marriage spell. Sakura could feel her aura reacting to it and start searching for the other aura it was to be linked to.  
  
She could not see anymore as the tears fogged up her vision. Off to the side she heard something and then the sorcerer had stopped casting the spell. At first she feared that it was done, but then she realized that her magic was still searching for another to link to.  
  
Wiping away her tears she saw Spinel Sun attacking the sorcerer who had just been casting the marriage spell. On her right she saw Ruby Moon attacking the guards surrounding her brother with passion. She always did like Touya a lot and tended to cling to him. Looking behind her she was able to see the Emperor locked in combat with Eriol.  
  
Sakura was feeling very confused, _how had Eriol gotten the magic restraining cuffs off?_ Before she could answer her questions she felt a presence at her side. Turning, she came face to face with the winged warrior. He looked like he was barely managing to stand up as sweat poured off his face and his eyes were slightly glazed over.  
  
He took her wrist that had the magic restraining cuff on it and began chanting a spell. As he was casting his spell Sakura noticed that his wings had started to flap. Quickly she grabbed the front of his robe with her free hand. A second later they were both in the air and rising. He appeared to be oblivious to the fact that they were flying.  
  
Sakura watched as the cuff fell off her wrist and boy let go of her hand. Looking at his face she noticed that his eyes were no longer open and his body was completely limp. She was now holding unto him with both of her hands for dear life. Slowly she pulled herself closer to him until she was able to wrap her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. The skirt of the dress had made it difficult as it wrapped around her legs in the wind.  
  
She desperately wished that she had her cards with her. It was very obvious that he had passed out and the wings were doing whatever they pleased, he had absolutely no control of them. She was feeling weak as her aura continued to search, the incomplete spell was draining her and she was feeling extremely tired.  
  
Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, fearful of when they would fall to their deaths. Looking down, she could see some clouds and the ground was just a blur of different shades of green and browns on rolling hills.  
  
Her arms were getting extremely tired and she struggled to stay awake. She then saw Kero flying towards them in his true form. He was soon under her and she was able to let go of the boy and land on Kero's back. As she was relaxing her eyes refused to stay open any longer and she lost all consciousness.

* * *

Eriol could feel the sweat rolling down his face. The Emperor was slightly less powerful but more than made up for it with the vast amounts of knowledge that the Imperials kept secret. He knew that Ruby Moon had accomplished her mission, saving Touya. Silently he summoned Spinel Sun, it was time to leave.  
  
He had seen the boy and Sakura make their escape while he was fighting the Emperor. He had also watched as Kerberos took off after them shortly thereafter. Yue was with the rest of the group making their escape so that they would have a magical link to the group of sorcerers. Besides, until just a few moments ago, Yue would have been stuck as Yukito in a magical battle.  
  
Spinel wasted no time in arriving by his side. Eriol leapt onto his back in one graceful movement before they were both in the air and traveling farther and farther away from the Emperor. Ruby Moon carried Touya up alongside them. He did not look too happy with her clinging to him, but grateful at the rescue nonetheless.  
  
They followed Kero to where Sakura and the winged boy were. Eriol watched as Sakura dropped onto Kero's back and promptly fainted. Kero seemed to be nervous about the boy soaring just above him.  
  
When they caught up to Kero, Eriol saw what the problem was. Not only was Sakura unconscious but so was the flying boy. Using a wind spell, he was able to control where the boy was going and make him follow their group. They flew till they were at least twenty miles away from the palace before landing. Eriol had to concentrate more on the wind spell in order for the boy to land softly.  
  
He was tired, but felt the need to check on Sakura before he did any resting. The Emperor had begun the marriage when they had arrived to rescue Sakura and Eriol knew that the spell they had been using was difficult and very dangerous when interrupted. He hoped that they got there early enough to reverse the effects and especially hoped that at the least she was not bound to the Emperor yet.  
  
Feeling Sakura's aura with his magic, he noted that the spell had reached the part where her soul and magic need to be connected with another, but not actually bound to anyone in the slightest yet. It had already reached a point where it could not be reversed. She was weakening quickly, meaning that she needs to have the marriage spell completed within the next few hours or she will die.  
  
_Now for the hard part, telling her brother_. "Hey Kinomoto, Sakura's in the middle of the Marriage spell, meaning that she has become a part of a whole. Without another half, the completion of the spell, she'll die." Recalling what he just said, he wasn't entirely sure he had made any sense.  
  
"NANI?! What exactly do you mean?" He could tell that Touya didn't like what Eriol had just said one bit. Touya didn't really care for him that much anyways, especially when he had been pushing Sakura to transform all the Clow Cards into Sakura Cards.  
  
"I mean, that Sakura needs to be married to a sorcerer in the next few hours or she will die. The Marriage spell needs to be completed and she must become connected with a sorcerer soon." Eriol made sure to put as much sternness in his voice as he could manage. Touya was very protective of his sister and only if he realized the true desperation of the situation would he be willing to marry off his little sister, and right now her life depends on it.  
  
"And just who is she to marry, you?!" Eriol stepped back from Touya in slight shock. It had never crossed Eriol's mind that he might be stuck marrying Sakura. He had been hoping to propose to his love, Tomoyo, soon. To marry through a Marriage spell would bind him irrevocably to Sakura and he did not love her like that. It was then that Eriol realized he had only focused on the fact that Sakura needs to marry, not on who she would marry. And there were very few sorcerers around and fewer still that were of age to marry and available, and of those, most of them were working for the Empire.  
  
"Or the flying gaki?" Touya said in a slightly calmer voice, but it was still filled with rage. Eriol looked at the unconscious sorcerer who had managed to break him out of prison and remove the magic restraining cuffs from off his wrists. He had also released everyone else with Eriol before they had gone off to rescue the Kinomotos. Tomoyo was somewhere with everyone else escaping from the Emperor's grasp as he chased the sorcerers who had 'kidnapped' his bride to be.  
  
"That is a possibility, but we really don't know much about him. If he was ever magically bound to someone before his time as a statue than he won't be able to; a sorcerer can never marry again after being sealed in a Marriage spell. And we need have him conscious to even try, not to mention his cooperation."  
  
"If we need his cooperation, then how come the Emperor was able to do so much to Sakura and could have sealed her to him without her cooperation." Eriol watched as Touya took on a contemplative look, "Or was she cooperating because he was using her friends as leverage?"  
  
"I doubt she was truly cooperating in being married to him, but with a magic restraining cuff on, she had no choice. After the marriage she would be connected to him but unable to actually access the link as long as her magic remained restrained while he would have gained the ability to use her cards. That is why he so desperately wanted to marry Sakura, so that he would become the Card Master."  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
Hmm, now what category exactly is this story in... I have the ability to make it a tragedy or I could give it a happy ending. Anything is possible, but then again, this is (although I haven't actually stated it anywhere before) a Sakura/Syaoran fic. That pretty much gives away some of what will take place next time so I guess it really isn't that much of a cliffy in that sense. It's just a matter of exactly how it happens and then what happens after.  
  
Wow, it took me a long time to update, for some reason I thought it had been two weeks since my last update, but it's actually more like one. So I'm not doing as bad as I thought I had been. Hopefully the next chapter will be up faster, I also want to find out exactly what will happen.


	7. Two to One

Ice Jayden: I really REALLY like Card Captor Sakura, but I do NOT own it.  
  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last chapter, hope this chapter will be just as good or better.  
  
**AnimeAngel302:** Yes, reactions are fun, but difficult to write. Hope you enjoy.   
**Smiles:** Days are awesome, and you'll have to read to find out. I didn't put too much in about Syaoran's past in this chapter, but the next one will likely have a lot and a bunch on Sakura too.   
**Rosie:** How often do I update? Uh, whenever I finish a chapter. I'll try to update at least once a week, depends on how much time I have to write and how many ideas I have in my head for the chapter. (not too many right now, I find myself writing it without any forethought.)   
**BabyWolfGurl:** Yes, I think its fairly cute too, I'm not very good at romance stuff. Can't really write what I haven't the slightest clue about. Oh well, the story is pretty much writing itself.   
**Me101:** Returning the smile, thank you soo much!!!   
**WizaDanU:** Thank you, I believe that this is a fairly fast update, for me at least.   
**Nosi:** How did you know I'd be having this start with Syaoran waking up? Guess you just figured me out partway, I can't even figure myself out completely. My thoughts are way too jumbled and chaotic. I hope you enjoy it.  
**Sorrow:** -sticks out tongue- you have to read this chapter to find out their ages. It wasn't that I forgot, in fact, I've been mulling over where to put that information since I started the fic. As far as what the year is, well this is completely alternate universe and the year is 1000 IR (Imperial Reign) and it is a sort of medieval setting.   
**Serenia-sd:** I understand, I just felt like giving you a hard time. But just you wait, one of these days I'll update two days in a row, the second one will be dedicated to you, since in some odd sense you challenged me to.   
**-tranced-:** I try to have some originality or it would be nothing but another generic with some authoress twists that I'd add.   
**iluvanime493:** Is this soon enough?   
**kittyfaerie3000:** Glad you liked.   
**Kat Night:** Thankz, I enjoy writing it a lot.   
**Biscuiting:** I have to have many surprises, or else it would be too dull for me to be able to continue writing. I really have a short amount of patience, I do try, but if something is boring then I find no reason to continue.  
  
"To vanish from one world and discover yourself in another presents the person with one moment of ecstasy and the next of sheer terror. No man can live without fear and no person can live without hope. It is a matter of living with more hope than fear, to conquer those imagined horrors that sometimes will materialize into reality. Life is not so simple as to be easy, but not so difficult as to be hard. To live is to exist in the here and now, to die is to have lived in the past, and to yet live is to continue towards the future." – Ice Jayden (Written before I began this story and on a completely different tangent; college life.)  
  
Cast In Stone   
Two to One  
  
Syaoran woke up with another headache and his back was numb. He shifted around on the ground a little bit although a weight on his back made it difficult and he began pondering the strange dream he had had. He wasn't prone to have visions, but his dreams would still have meanings occasionally.  
  
_He woke up on the side of a mountain and saw the Card Mistress sleeping on her guardian beast Keroberos. He could hear people talking in Japanese, he knew they were speaking in Japanese, but his mind was too foggy to comprehend what they were saying.  
  
Suddenly the dark haired man who had taken Syaoran's sword was standing right in front of him and talking in a threatening tone. He tried to concentrate on his words but only managed to catch the very last part, "... so you have to agree." The man paused, waiting expectantly for Syaoran to respond.  
  
He felt as though he needed to comply. "Hai, I will." He was very confused, what am I agreeing to do? He gave a glare which Syaoran returned full force before saying, "Good, we'll start as soon as Hiirigazawa wakes the Kaijuu up."  
  
Syaoran turned and saw Hiirigazawa Eriol giving Sakura's aura a little bit more strength until she woke up. He then spoke to her in a whisper and gave her a slight smile. She then turned to look at Syaoran who had no emotions showing on his face. He was hiding his confusion as best he could. She looked slightly surprised and then smiled tentatively to him.  
  
Hiirigazawa then approached him with an amused yet serious expression on his face._ Does he know that I haven't the slightest clue as to what's going on?_ He then spoke, "So we now need your name and age before proceeding, and it has to be your birth name. Also, have you been married?"_ Why do they need that information?  
  
_"Li Xiao Lang, I am 18 years old and I have not been married." It was as though some strange force made him answer. Hiirigazawa seemed to contemplate that information for a short while with an odd looking expression. If Syaoran wasn't so confused, he might have found it funny. "Good, I was worried that you might have been younger and that would have been a bit odd for Sakura who is 18 as well." Still confused, Syaoran found himself wondering what Kinomoto had to do with all this and why their ages mattered.  
  
"Alright Li, I need you to stand right here," Hiirigazawa pointed to a spot right in front of where he was standing and then pointed just to Syaoran's left and said, "and I'll need Sakura to stand right here." Having made some agreement Syaoran complied, he always kept his word, although he wasn't sure just yet as to what the complete agreement was.  
  
Hiirigazawa started to chant a spell, picking up on Sakura's wayward aura and bring it to Syaoran while loosing Syaoran's aura. He then recognized what was going on, he was in the midst of a Marriage spell,_ is that what I had agreed to do?_ Right then and there Syaoran determined that he would make sure he knew exactly what he is agreeing to do before agreeing. This was quite the twist of events but he had already given his word and now he would have to give Kinomoto his soul.  
  
Hiirigazawa had almost completed the spell, now it was time for the vows. "Do you, Li Xiao Lang, take Kinomoto Sakura, to be you beloved wife? For better and worse, in sickness and health, to be on with her for all time and eternity?"  
  
Syaoran gave a slight sigh, there was no backing out of it now. To stop would kill him, not that he was feeling very lively anyways. He could only do his part and complete the binding, "I do." Such a simple statement that carries so much weight, his life is no longer his own.  
  
Hiirigazawa then turned to Kinomoto, "Do you, Kinomoto Sakura, take Li Xiao Lang, to be your beloved husband? For better and worse, in sickness and health, to be one with him for all time and eternity?"  
  
She gave a small smile and weakly said, "I do." She was extremely weak from the interrupted Marriage spell that was suppose to bind her to the Emperor. Hiirigazawa turned to look Syaoran in the eyes and said, "You must now seal this binding of man and wife with a kiss." It was the finishing touch of any marriage and the climax of the Marriage spell. With the kiss their souls and magic would knit together to be one.  
  
It was a simple and hesitant kiss but the magic that swirled around them was magnificent. Pink and green magic mixed and knotted together. Their souls became only a half of a whole and so only together would they ever be complete. Magically, rings appeared on their ring fingers to physically symbolize their binding.  
  
They contained intricate carvings around the band and contained beautiful green and pink jewels. Kinomoto's,_ wait she wasn't Kinomoto anymore_, Li Sakura's had a large rosy-pink jewel set in the middle surrounded by little emerald green gems. Syaoran's had a large emerald green gem in the center with one little pink jewel inset on either side in the band.  
  
After they were permanently bound together, the spell completed, Syaoran's back erupted in pain. At the same time he saw Sakura strengthen, no longer being drained by an incomplete Marriage spell. His vision blacked out and for a while everything was black.  
_  
That was when he had woken up. Having reviewed his dream in his mind he opened his eyes. He was on the side of a mountain, the same one that was in his dream. He groaned, he really didn't want to start having visions if it meant he was about to get married. He tried to sit up but his arms were weak from his constant fevers and the weight on his back was more than he had been expecting. _Surely the wings aren't that heavy. I guess I'm more worn out than I thought.  
_  
The weight on his back shifted slightly and it was then that he noticed that the weight was very different than what the wings had ever felt like and his back wasn't hurting anymore. It felt like someone was using him for a pillow. Looking to his side, instead of seeing a large brown wing tied to him or spread out, he saw a white skirt and feet in white shoes. _Sakura was wearing a wedding dress when I rescued her. Wait, why am I thinking of her as Sakura? And why is she lying on me? And what happened to those major-pain-in-the-back wings?  
_  
Hiirigazawa walked up to where he was lying down, "Glad to see you're awake, Li, but please let Sakura rest. She used up most of her strength saving your life. We thought we might have lost you there for a moment. You should be grateful Sakura was able to remove your wings." This brought a moment of confusion to Syaoran,_ how had he known my name and this most definitely did not match with what had happened in my dream. Maybe the dream meant nothing after all.  
_  
It was then that he saw the sun reflecting off of something around one of his fingers. Taking a closer look he saw that it was _the_ ring from his dream. _Guess it wasn't a dream after all, or a vision. It's what happened while I was in a trance-like state while the wings did their final number and actually killed me. But since I was bound then bound to Sakura, she was able to save me.  
_  
He was too exhausted to protest being married. Syaoran lowered his head to rest on the ground and closed his eyes, sighing in defeat. If he was going to be stuck being a pillow, he might as well get some more rest. It didn't take long before he was sleeping peacefully once more.

* * *

Sakura awoke from her rest but was reluctant to get up. She was extremely comfortable and cuddled into her living pillow a little more. A contented smile formed on her lips as a sigh escaped her. Her pillow started shaking and rebelling against her. Then it lifted up and she fell off.  
  
She found herself looking into the amber eyes of Li Xiao Lang, her husband. She grinned impishly and giggled uncontrollable. He is really cute when he just wakes up with dirt all over his face and hair. He simply raised an eyebrow at her, his expression serious as always.  
  
She was currently feeling extremely giddy, likely some sort of after affect of the marriage spell. Xiao Lang was too good at hiding his emotions for her to be sure whether or not he was feeling the same. It was strange in a sense, she had just married someone that she really didn't know anything about, and yet it felt right. It was like they were meant to be together.  
  
Already she had used their magic link. After they had finished the Marriage spell, Xiao Lang had collapsed unconscious. Through their new link she could feel the pain radiating from where the wings connected to his back. It was then that she had realized that he was dying. At first she had asked Eriol to remove them, but he told her he didn't have the slightest clue how to do it without causing more damage, something Xiao Lang would not be able to live through.  
  
That was when she had felt something from him guiding her magic, and at that instant she simply knew how to safely remove the wings. She drew from his magic the knowledge and used her own magic to give it the strength to remove the wings. It had taken at least ten minutes for her to remove the wings and undo all the damage from his back. She had used the erase card to erase the monstrous wings that had nearly killed Xiao Lang. She had then collapsed onto his back completely exhausted and fell asleep.  
  
Sakura smiled at him, he still had his eyebrow raised and it was rather hilarious. Or at least with her current mood it was hilarious. She watched him sigh and turn away. She looked to where he was looking and saw her brother with Eriol and Nakuru finishing cooking dinner over a fire. Kero was sleeping on the ground near the fire with Suppi.  
  
"Nice to see you two are awake. Now if you are hungry, we have a delicious meal waiting to be eaten. And I recommend you eat because we will be traveling through the night. The Emperor is sure to be able to track us through the amount of magically energy used in the Marriage spell, which is why we were able to build a fire since they know where we are already. I figure they'll be here in approximately three hours."  
  
As Eriol spoke, Sakura and Xiao Lang moved to the fire and began eating. Sakura savored the warm food and enjoyed the flavors so wonderfully contained therein. She watched as Xiao Lang had his first real meal since waking up from being a statue. She was slightly disappointed that his face didn't show any changes, as though this meal was no different from any other and he hadn't missed any meals recently, which was definitely not the case.  
  
After they finished she heard Xiao Lang utter a quite, "Arigato." She smiled at him and hoped that he would stop being so obstinately stubborn and be her friend. She didn't want to be strangers forever, because forever is never ending, and they were sealed to each other for eternity.  
  
Before she could begin a conversation Eriol spoke up, "There is a nice stream near here; we should go there first so that we can clean up. Being a prisoner for a few days isn't exactly hygienic." With that he stood up, put out the fire, and began walking down a path.  
  
Eriol woke Suppi and he then flew slightly above Eriol's right shoulder while Nakuru was still latched onto Touya. Touya was next to stand up, with Nakuru hanging off him, and followed Eriol with Xiao Lang right behind them. Sakura quickly stood up and followed, not wanting to be left behind. Kero woke up from where he had been sleeping, having missed dinner, and flew next to Suppi.  
  
They traveled in virtual silence; only a slight rustling of the grass under their feet gave way to their passing. It took only a few minutes before they reached the stream that Eriol had mentioned. Sakura left with Nakuru to a different location where they bathed. Sakura scrubbed off the white wedding gown a bit so that it was nearly clean. She used Windy to dry her and the dress when she finished.  
  
After a short while of waiting, Kero flew to her and told her that the guys were ready for her to join them and truly begin their journey. When she and Nakuru rejoined them Suppi and Kero changed into their true forms. Sakura took out her key and changed it into her Star Staff and gave herself wings with the fly card. Looking up she noticed that Xiao Lang had matching magic wings on his back. Fly had given them both wings because of their link.  
  
Looking at Xiao Lang's face, she noticed that he didn't seem one bit happy about the wings. In fact his face was no longer its emotionless mask that it normally is, he looked upset. Sakura smiled at him, she couldn't really help it. He looked much better clean and rather cute when he pouted.  
  
Using knowledge that came from the link she hid her aura even while using her magic. She also hid the auras of the rest of the magic users in their group with the help of her husband through their link. She was coming to terms with her sudden marriage much faster and better than she thought she would, _must be because I really like him, and I was thinking I'd be stuck with the Emperor and he is a whole lot better.  
_  
Touya got onto Kero's back while Eriol rode Spinel. Nakuru transformed into Ruby Moon and soon they were all flying above the clouds. She found herself mentally sending reassuring feelings to Xiao Lang through the bond; he did not like flying at all. She could feel his dislike and fears in the back of her mind and tried to quell it as much as possible.  
  
As they were flying she heard a voice enter her thoughts that was not her own. **Why do we have to fly?** Slightly shocked by the unexpected form of communication Sakura forgot to continue flying and was soon plummeting to the earth. She felt a hand on her wrist pulling her back up, it was Xiao Lang. **You can call me Syaoran.  
**  
"Hoe!!!" _Why does he have to do that? How does he do that?_ **So that you'll learn incase something happens and we need to communicate and I do this by directing my thought to you.** _You heard my thoughts?_ Sakura actually tried to project that thought to him. **Hai, and you don't have to scream them at me.  
**  
She blushed lightly as she realized that she must have said that thought to him very loudly. Sakura then realized that she wasn't flying on her own and that he was still holding her wrist. She felt her face heat up as blood rushed to her head as she blushed a bright shade of red. If it wasn't for the fact that he was still holding her, she would have fallen to her death by now.  
  
Once she had managed to recompose herself enough to fly on her own, Syaoran let go of her wrist. She halfway wished that they would continue to fly hand in hand to there destination. She felt like a part of her was missing when they stopped holding hands. It was then that she remembered that a part of the Marriage spell was that they would become two halves of a whole. He was her other half. They could share thoughts and magic, they were one.  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
So, there is one more chapter, and I updated even faster this time; makes me feel so happy. So, be a nice reader and review so I know what you thought. Anything you think I can do to make this story better/ more intriguing would be appreciated. The more reviews I get the harder I try to get the next chapter up faster. 


	8. Night Flight

Ice Jayden: I really REALLY like Card Captor Sakura, but I do NOT own it. Never have, never will.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last chapter. Wow, there were a lot of them, hehehehe. So, just smile and have a very wonderful day.

**PTV:** Thank you and here it continues... but is not completed.

**SailorSakura:** This be the update and a longer, just a wee bit longer, chapter

**NorthDemonAce:** A honeymoon? I might see about putting one in, but maybe they will wait till they know each other much better first. They are still very much so strangers, although that will change a lot by the end of this chapter. Chances are it wont happen cause I just don't want to have to write that. To much trying to figure out how romance works, not my thing.

**Rosie:** I thought I already had Syaoran save Sakura? I don't know if it will happen again, Sakura doesn't like playing damsel in distress, although she likes having Syaoran rescue her.

**AnimeAngel302:** Thankz : )

**Dreamers-wish:** Wow, you reviewed all of my chapters, thank you, thank you, thank you... um, wow, I got a little swirly-eyed. And don't worry, I'm writing this story only until it's finished. And I do have a bunch of random other story ideas floating around my head trying to distract me, but, I want to finish this first. I'm no good at having two stories at the same time.

**Meow-Fairy:** Why thank you, as I've said before, I am updating ASAP all the time. This is the story I'm focusing all my writing energies on. (Well, I'll occasionally write a teeny tiny bit in other stories I have.)

**Dark dragon 00:** Thanks, I'm glad you think so.

**Phantom Demon:** Yah, I laugh WAY Too much while I'm writing it. That slows me down a bit, its hard to type when you're laughing.

**AnnieS23:** Wow, a lot of people said _Two to One_ was a cute chapter, must be true. Thank yah lots.

**Time Warp:** I know, I thought it was a bit short too, but it isn't the shortest chapter, that would be chapter two, it is the only chapter that is less than four pages in word when I wrote it. So all the chapters, including seven, are four or more word pages. Thus far, chapter one is my longest chapter, my goal, to make a chapter longer than the first. I spend too much time thinking about the silliest little things, hehehe.

**Sleepy.cat.zzz:** uh oh is right, he ain't gonna be happy one iota with Sakura being sealed to Syaoran. That will be revealed in the story, anywhos, he really is gonna be mad when he finds out she married a Li. Mwahahahaha.

**Serenia-sd:** That's the kind of guy I see him as too, and I knew that he would be extremely stubborn and refuse to marry Sakura if he knew what he was agreeing to do. So I had to play a trick on him.

**Sakura Blossom161:** Hmm, I'm always writing. At least my roommates seem to think so. That or I'm reading, so yah, I'm writing more or less, constantly. I hope to actually write/edit enough to update again soon. Such a pain editing one owns stories.

**Smiles:** Thanks, I like compliments. I have had good days and baddish-good days. I always try to make every day a good day and the best way is to simply smile all the troubles away.

**Sarah the original:** Thank you very much.

**Mariko:** Arigato!!! This is supposed to be as original as I could think of. I think some of my unwritten ideas are fairly original too, but they are as of yet unwritten.

Anyways, on with the story...

Cast In Stone

Night Flight

Sakura flew up to where Kero and her brother were to see how they were doing. Touya didn't look thrilled about being on Kero, but happy that Ruby Moon was not smothering him. Flying wasn't very good for talking; the wind blew the words away. Well, it doesn't seem to affect telepathy one bit, but she still felt slightly uncomfortable with that form of communication. In fact, she found herself worrying that she was broadcasting all of her thoughts to him accidentally. She needed him to teach her how to tell if she was broadcasting all of her thoughts or not, he seemed to know what he was doing. _How come he knows how to speak telepathically through our bond and I don't?_

**Because I've studied magic all of my life, including telepathy. **Sakura gave a little squeak in surprise and looked around to find where Syaoran was flying in respect to her. He was behind her and a few feet down, skimming along the top of a cloud and playing with it. He seemed to be in his own little world and he looked really cute with the cloud mist parting for him as he played. The cloud had a pinkish tint to it from the setting sun that offset his dark green robes giving him an otherworldly appearance

_Could you teach me how to know if I'm talking to you? Did you hear that? _**Yes on both accounts. It is very simple; let me show you through the bond. **Sakura felt his magic bringing various magically properties to the forefront of her mind. She could see, in a magical sense, how to feel the link between them and pass thoughts and magic across that bond as well as to keep them from simply flowing to the other side when she wanted to have some more privacy.

As they flew her mind began to drift, especially now that she didn't have to worry about Syaoran hearing all of her thoughts. She allowed herself to feel all of the magic of the past and present as she flew through the darkening sky.

She could feel the Imperial capital very strongly even though it was far away. It was filled with magic marks from spells caste within over thousands of years; it felt like a center of magic. Both good and evil radiated from it.

The Emperor lived there and Norio died there. She knew without a doubt that he was no longer living with her magical senses. All life was filled with some level of magic even if it could not use it. The dead garden was a dead spot of the living magic that thrived all around them on the earth. All of the statues contained therein were nothing more than statues now, Syaoran somehow managed to find a loophole in the spell. He must have been more powerful than the caster of the spell and so was able to stop it from killing him but still unable to stop it from changing him into stone.

She felt somewhat guilty, she was happy that he was her husband and that he had been a statue for a thousand years so that they could be together now. And she still didn't really know him very well, just that he is her own age, knows a lot about magic, and his birth name was Li Xiao Lang. He had indeed been Chinese.

It was then that Sakura realized that he was a Li and it had been the Li Clan that had made so many advancements in magic. The entire clan had been slaughtered when the Empire formed and the Chinese palace was burned to the ground. _Well, they kind of missed one_.

She was presented with a rare opportunity; her husband was from an era that many myths and legends came from. He knows the truth and could tell her. Already he had proved truth behind one myth, magical swords really did exist. _Syaoran, could you tell me about the time you lived. There are so many stories, but no one really knows which ones are true because the Li Clan was so secretive._

**I know**, she felt him mentally sigh, **I have a hard time telling anyone anything, not that it really matters anymore so I will try. What did you want to know? **_Well, growing up in Japan, it was protected from Imperial invasion by a powerful magic spell caste by someone long ago. According to the most popular myth, it was the Li prince who had saved our nation. At least until the Clow Cards were completely mastered and then it was up to, well me, to protect it. I didn't do a very good job though. On the same day I transformed the last Clow Cards into Sakura Cards the protection spell vanished and the Emperor and his minions used a magical portal to transport themselves to Japan and attacked while taking me prisoner. I'm just not strong enough to save them. _

**I'm sure you're strong enough, you're the most powerful sorceress I have ever met, and I have met quite a few. As for the myth of it being the Li prince who caste a spell to save Japan, that isn't true. It was the Queen of China, the most powerful sorceress living at the time who used most of her magic to protect Japan until the cards were mastered. The prince simply activated the spell once he had brought the Clow Cards to Japan for safe keeping.**

_So, you do know quite a bit, did you actually know the Queen? _He sighed before answering, **I did know the Queen; most of the Li Clan did. **Sakura's eyes shimmered in excitement; the last Chinese Queen had been a bit of a legend. Right behind Clow Reed in greatness, and her spouse had _known_ her. _Why did the Li Clan keep all of their magic to themselves and yet they gave their most powerful magical item, the Clow Cards, to the Japanese Kingdom? And if they could protect Japan from the Imperials, why couldn't they save China? And did they really ride unicorns?_

**So many questions, **his voice was definitely amused and Sakura had to smile. _How did I go from almost marrying the worst sorcerer alive to the most mysterious and cute one? _**And there's another one before I could even begin to answer the others. **Sakura blushed a bright red as she realized that she had forgotten to block that thought from him. **I really don't know how to answer your last question, uh, _mysterious_ and... _cute_? **Sakura was absolutely burning up from embarrassment. She really needs to work on blocking him from her private thoughts. **I don't recall anyone racing around on unicorns, although Mei Ling claimed to have seen one once. As far as protecting China from the Imperials, that would have been extremely difficult. Japan is an island and all of the Imperials were in China preparing to take over when the protection spell was activated. As you know, it kept anyone loyal to the Empire from entering Japan by any means. China was full of Imperials from the day Chang, the first emperor, started to gather a following. It is easier to keep rats out with a spell when there are none there to begin with. As for your first question, I am sworn to secrecy and will not tell you until everything is over.**

_Sworn to secrecy? Oh well, I guess I should expect the Li Clan to want to keep some secrets even now. Who was Mei Ling? _**My cousin... and my fiancée. **_You had a fiancée?! Oh, I'm so sorry that you were forced to marry me. You must have loved her, just like I loved Norio. _**Like she was my sister, nothing more. I promised her when I was seven that if I never found someone I loved more than her, I would marry her. We were going to get married in another year and a half, when I turned 20. That was if we both managed to survive the Imperial attacks, so we both knew we would never actually marry. The Imperials would never let a Li sorcerer live, it would cause a lot of problems. And Mei Ling would never let them hurt her family without a fight. And believe it or not, we knew that the Li Clan would fall before I turned 20. **

_That's so sad, to live without any hope for a future. _Sakura could feel tears forming in her eyes. She had never realized that the Li Clan died with the foreknowledge of their imminent demise. And she thought that living while the Empire ruled most of the world was bad, surely it could not compare to knowing that you would die brutally in battle and right after your deaths, darkness would reign.

It was slightly eerie, they had been telecommunicating for some time now and the silence was almost deafening. It was then she noticed that they were flying in the dark with only the light of the moon and starts to guide them. She sought out where Yue's aura was and decided that he must be in Japan. The rest of their group must have used a magic portal to get back, especially since most of the Imperial forces would be trailing Sakura and those with her. The Emperor was not one to give up his prizes easily, and to him, Sakura was nothing more than a grand prize that he could own.

**We did have hope for the future, just not our own; otherwise I would not have tried so hard to help you and your friends. It was hope that kept us going until the very end and I will not loose hope for the future now. **_Why do I feel as though you are hiding something really big from me? _Sakura could feel his smirk as he replied, **maybe because I am. And if you don't mind my asking, who is Norio? **

_Well, I do mind, but I will tell you since you have told me so much. He was my fiancé and my greatest love. We met when he was visiting Japan. It was during his visit that I opened the Clow Book and released all of the cards. He and Kero helped me capture them again, although Norio was almost as clueless as I was. He at least had received a little bit of magical training and could shield us from some of the cards attacks. He even managed to capture two of them, but gave them to me since I was the true card captor. I managed to pass the judgment against Yue and become the Card Mistress. He supported me through everything, even when Eriol came and forced me to change all the cards from Clow Cards to Sakura Cards. We were planning on getting married in a few months, but then I got captured by the Emperor and about a month later so did he. Only the Emperor decided that my fiancé was in the way and he... he... Oh, and you'd think that I could telepathically tell you what happened. Um, well, Norio isn't... alive anymore. He's a... um, what you were, only he wasn't strong enough to survive. _

Tears were streaming down her cheeks from closed lids. **If he loved you as much as you love him, then he would be sad to see you crying. Be strong, for him and for everyone who needs you. **She then felt something warm and soft brush the tears off her cheeks. Opening her eyes she saw Syaoran flying right next to her, concern in his eyes. Summoning her inner strength, she gave a barely perceptible smile.

They continued to fly in silence to Japan. A long flight, that would take more than a day for any normal flying creature, but at their pace they should arrive around dawn. Sakura felt like collapsing, it now took all of her concentration to stay awake. Her use of magic in the fly card was draining her already low magic reserves. As she was flying, she felt buoyed up in strength slightly and noticed that Syaoran had sent some of his own magic over their bond to her. He must have noticed that she was running dangerously low. The part that scared Sakura was that they stilled had at least three more hours of flying before they would arrive.

**Maybe you should let your guardian carry you instead of flying yourself, then you could rest and you need it. **Letting out a weary sigh, she could only agree and flew over to Kero and Touya. She shouted at the top of her voice, "I'm going to put fly away and ride with you!" Touya and Kero both nodded in response to let her know that they got her message. As she joined Touya on Kero's back, she had fly return to its card form. As she leaned onto Touya to sleep, she remembered that Syaoran had been flying through the power of the fly card as well. Immediately she panicked and looked around for him.

She let out a great big sigh of relief as she spotted him behind Eriol on Spinel Sun. It was then that exhaustion took over and she fell back into her brother and fell immediately asleep.

Syaoran felt grateful and irate at the same time; grateful that he no longer had annoying wings on his back and irate that he was sitting behind Hiirigazawa. He had known that Sakura would put fly away and he didn't feel like plummeting to the earth, so he had joined Hiirigazawa. He didn't know why, but just being in Hiirigazawa's presence set all of his nerves on edge. Hiirigazawa, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind his presence at all.

He spent the next three hours of flying trying to calm his nerves. Hiirigazawa hadn't done anything except force feed him medicine the first morning, so his reaction to his presence was way out of proportion as far as Syaoran was concerned. He just didn't understand why he felt the need to hurt Hiirigazawa or avoid him as much as possible.

He watched as the sun rose and reflected off the ocean. He could see land in the distance, they were almost to Japan. His eyelids were heavy, but he couldn't sleep even if he wanted to right now. His nerves were still on edge and he had goosebumps on his arms. He really was excited about getting away from Hiirigazawa so that he could get some rest. It had been an extremely long day, and an even longer night and he was absolutely exhausted.

As soon as they landed Syaoran jumped off of Spinel Sun's back. He watched as Hiirigazawa sleepily dismounted and then fell to the ground asleep. _Guess I'm not the only one in need of a good nights rest, even if the day has already begun_. He walked a slight distance away from Hiirigazawa and then fell asleep on the soft grass.

Touya lifted his little sister off of Kero and let out a sigh. The monster was out of it completely, and he knew from experience that she would not wake easily. He saw both of the sorcerers go to sleep. Hiirigazawa looked like he simply collapsed, most likely asleep before he even reached the ground. The Li brat, the monster's husband, was a little pickier about where he slept and had walked a slight distance before laying down to sleep.

In his arms he felt Sakura shiver. Heaving a slight sigh, he walked over to where Li was sleeping and placed her next to him with her head on his chest. He saw Li's eyes open and look at him; already Sakura was pressing herself against him to get warm. Her wedding dress, long though it may be, was not warm enough for the monster. Li seemed to understand, that or he was too tired since he seemed to think about protesting but did not and his eyes closed to welcome sleep once more.

Touya then grabbed one of the gaki's arms and put it over Sakura, again those amber eyes opened to look at him. He tried to pull his arm away but Touya held it there. He then used the huge sleeve as a blanket for the monster and gave the gaki a warning look. Again he seemed to understand, although he did glare right back until his eyelids grew too heavy and closed. Satisfied that the gaki was asleep, he let go of his arm and watched for a few moments to make sure that he left it there.

Feeling exhausted himself, he moved away from the couple and Hiirigazawa. Making sure that Ruby Moon wasn't paying any attention to him, he found a hidden spot to sleep. He didn't want to be disturbed. He saw that Kero was now in his false form and sleeping on top of Sakura using the gaki's sleeve as a blanket as well. Spinel Sun had taken up guard duty while Nakuru was sleeping next to him. Pleased that everyone was situated for their naps, he allowed himself to fall asleep.

Lying on the grass, he found sleep elusive. He could hardly believe how chaotic yesterday had been. First his sister was going to be marrying against her will to the vilest man alive. Then they were rescued by the gaki, Hiirigazawa, and the guardians. Next he finds out that his sister would die in a few hours unless she was married to a sorcerer. Hiirigazawa didn't want to be her husband and Touya didn't want to have him as a brother in law either. Their only remaining option had been the gaki.

It was slightly surprising to him that he was the one who had forced, sorta, the gaki to marry his sister. He was the overprotective brother who chased all the guys away, although Norio would simply smile charmingly at Sakura and ignore Touya. As for the gaki, if it wasn't for Touya, the he would still be a statue in the Emperor's garden rather than running around very much alive. How exactly he had released him from that spell was still a mystery to Touya. Now he was his brother in law and it was his duty to make sure that he took care of the monster. After a while his thoughts turned to dreams of all the chaos and possible outcomes as he slept the day away.

To be continued...

So, there is another chapter, just a tiny bit longer than the last one. Sorry, I know a lot of people wanted a longer chapter, but I've had a busy week and it is this much now, or slightly longer beginning of next week. So, just smile and be happy I got this much done and then be real sweet and leave me a **_review_** to get my muse excited again. Another muse has recently shown up in my head distracting me from writing this story and making it difficult for me to even think about Cast In Stone, so very annoying.


	9. Love is a Verb

Ice Jayden: I really REALLY like Card Captor Sakura, but I do NOT own it. Never have, never will. Oh, and I am super sorry for the extremely long wait for this update.

I will now thank all those who were kind enough to review the last chapter...

**Mariko: **You called me cool, hmm, that's okay. Super glad you like my story. So, were you pointing at my Slieth? I know that I've got one, and no one else knows what they look like, but doesn't mean you have to point it out to everyone. Besides, it isn't that cute. Oh, and thanks for the wonderful reviews.

**Bold Eyes (Rosie): **Um, I still don't think that I'll be able to have Syaoran save Sakura, maybe, if so it'll happen soon cause this story is close to the end. Yes, I don't intend to drag my story out so the end is near.

**Serenia-sd: **Thanks for the review, too bad I didn't update sooner. Guess I'm not very good at consistent updates. Oh well, I'll try to get the next chapter up soon, which will have a lot more action than this one.

**SailorSakura: **Hmm, I do know about Gargoyles, but that was not the inspiration for this story. In fact, I didn't think of them one bit till you mentioned them. Who knows, it may have been the inspiration for what inspired this story cause I did have some inspiration, just not Gargoyles.

**Rapture:** Sorry, any flashbacks that Syaoran will have are already in the story. It isn't focused on Syaoran's past, but on the present.

**Commander Cheddar:** I can't write stories all the way through if there are no surprises or I'd get really bored. So yah, that was a lot of fun to put in as well as necessary for the story.

**Falcon: **Thanks for the complement, here be the next chapter. And I do try to stay somewhat consistent as I try to add little twists to the story.

**AnimeAngel302: **I've seen it spelled many ways, and my way is just one of them. Although I looked at some more informative CCS sites and I think we are both slightly off. I think it is actually Hiiragizawa, oh well.

**Sarah the Original: **Sure, I don't mind getting more ideas, and I used it, sorta.

**Smiles: **heh? His secret, I thought I already told the readers his secret, but then again, he is a man of many secrets. Not all will be revealed in this story so nah (that is sound that goes with tongue sticking out).

**Dreamers-wish: **Thanks, I do like compliments, at least when they have to do with my work.

**WizaDanU: **Hehehe, I know long wait for the update, but I will not let this story go unfinished.

**Yaua:** I try to be different, at least I think I'm trying to be different.

**Serenity's Blaim: **Yah, I've got this thing where Touya has to be super protective of Sakura, but still a very good guy.

**A little Birdie: **Don't worry, I'm writing this story to completion no matter what, I just might take a little while.

**Time Warp: **Glad you thought it was informative cause that is what it was all about basically.

**Dark dragon 00:** Sorry I didn't update soon, but I have now.

Now back to the story...

Cast In Stone

Love is a Verb

Sakura moaned slightly as she slowly awoke from her slumber. Her pillow was a bit hard and her blanket too small and too thin. Although it was warm and the pillow rose and fell rhythmically, soothing her tired mind. Not wanting to get up, yet having the sun shining on her lids, she threw the blanket over her head. Or at least she tried to throw the blanket over her head, something was anchoring it down. It was then that she noticed the weight across her.

Groggily, she opened up her eyes to make sense of her surroundings. The small blanket was green with gold bordering one edge and it continued around and down to cover her pillow. Kero's head was sticking out of the blanket on top of Sakura. Rubbing the last of the sleep out of her eyes, she noticed that her 'pillow' was none other than Li Syaoran. And it was his arm that was anchoring the blanket, the sleeve of his outfit, down.

Startled, she tried to jump up and off of him only to have his arm cause her to collapse. She watched as he awoke and attempted to rise up only she was pinning him down. He moved his arms to his sides and Sakura took advantage of the removal of his arm by jumping up successfully. Kero woke up from all the shifting and was soon flying nearby while Syaoran also stood.

The sun was still high in the sky but on its downward phase. Looking around she could see Eriol sleeping a few meters away, Nakuru was gaily chasing Suppi around. She had no idea what sort of torture Nakuru had in mind for Spinel and didn't really want to know either. She could not see her brother. Slightly worried she sought out his aura, following it, she found him sleeping in a small crack under an overhanging rock and the soft, dew-damp grass.

Smiling she left him and walked back into the clearing where Syaoran was starting a fire using some dry wood and an ofuda. She carefully checked their bond to make sure that he wasn't overhearing her thoughts. _Where did he get that ofuda? But then again, we never did search him for anything and I guess the Emperor never did either. _She watched as Syaoran started to cook some fish, which she again didn't know where he got; _I wasn't searching for my brother so long that he had time to fish, was I? _

Tantalized by the smell of food, her stomach began to protest noisily causing her to blush slightly in embarrassment. She moved over to where Syaoran was now cutting up some vegetables that he seemed to have conjured up out of nowhere. _But then again he is a Li, so maybe he is conjuring up the food._

"Hey Syaoran, um... where did you get the food?" She watched as he looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. "That is another family secret; besides, one must always expect the unexpected." "Hoe?!" She couldn't help it, it was a typical Kero quote coming from a guy that had virtually no interaction with Kero thus far. Then again, Kero was sitting on his shoulder practically drooling over the food.

She continued to stare at him for a little while with her mouth slightly open. When she finally shook herself out of her stupor, she noticed that there was a plate of food sitting in her hand. _Where did that come from?_ Slightly confused, she sat down and began to absentmindedly eat as she tried to figure out how the plate of food came to be in her hand.

It tasted really good and soon she totally forgot that its appearance was a mystery to her. She sighed contentedly when she finished her meal. Looking around her, she noticed that everyone else was awake now and eating. Her brother and Syaoran were having a glaring contest, their food forgotten and getting cold. She could almost see the sparks flying between them, they looked scary to her.

Wanting them to stop and still feeling hungry, she snatched some food quickly off of Touya's plate. He looked at her in slight disbelief and then said, "Kaijuu, leave my food alone, you had your own." She immediately responded by stomping on his foot while saying, "Sakura no Kaijuu!!!" She felt extremely triumphant as Touya had stopped glaring at Syaoran and was now limping away from her, muttering something she couldn't quite hear under his breath.

"Arigato for the food; it was really good." She said pleasantly to Syaoran who she noticed was currently gaping at her. "Um, who exactly is he?" It was not the response she had expected, but it did cause her to remember that Syaoran was not formally introduced to anyone.

"Oh I'm so sorry, you've been with us for some time and we still haven't introduced ourselves. That was my brother, Touya Kinomoto." She pointed to everyone else in the camp as she introduced Syaoran to them. "Eriol Hiirigazawa, he is the half reincarnation of Clow Reed and that is Nakuru, or Ruby Moon, his moon Guardian. Over there is Spinel Sun, his sun guardian. That is Kero, um Keroberos, my Sun Guardian." He simply nodded his head.

"Yeah, the stuffed animal already introduced himself." He said it extremely serenely, as though he wasn't doing anything insulting. Kero, who was now devouring the last of Syaoran's lukewarm food, looked up at him angrily. "I AM NOT A STUFFED ANIMAL!!! Chinese GAKI!!!!" Sakura heaved a sigh as she ignored the two in their futile argument.

* * *

Syaoran was irritated at that stupid stuffed animal. He had eaten the last of his meal and then they had decided it was time to continue on their way to wherever it was that they were going. _Stupid stuffed animal eating my food, well, see if I ever make him a meal again_. No one had actually informed him of where they were going, not that he had bothered to ask. It didn't help that he was stuck with magic wings on his back and having to fly himself.

After having been stuck with those poisonous wings of décor, he had developed a hate of wings and flying. Giving a grunt of indignation while flying, he continued to watch the foliage below as he followed along. In the distance he could see a city with a large, extravagant building on the far side of it.

As they neared the city it became obvious that they were approaching the capital of Japan as the castle loomed closer. Syaoran found himself following them all the way to the palace where they landed just in front of the doors. The guards greeted them and bowed to both Kinomoto and Sakura.

"Your Highnesses, welcome home." _What, Sakura is a _Princess_? How come she never told me? And here I thought I'd finally managed to escape the life of royalty. Uhg. At least she has an older brother to inherit the throne. _His thoughts of dislike for the royal life came to an end as Sakura's voice replied, "It's very nice to be home. Where can we find my father?"

Syaoran checked himself quickly to make sure that his face was its usual expressionless mask as he quietly followed them wherever the guard was leading them. He also paid close attention to his surroundings, observing their route so that he wouldn't get lost if he had to make a quick escape.

Eventually they came to the throne room where the King was talking with some military personal. Syaoran watched as the kind looking ruler turned his attention to their small group. His eyes immediately lit up as they focused on his two children. "Touya, Sakura, you're back and safe. You had me so worried, please Touya, and never just leave without telling me again. And Sakura, are you alright? The Emperor didn't hurt you or anything did he?"

"Dad, I'm fine. But I did have to get married." At this Sakura gave a nervous smile and then look right at Syaoran. He was nervous as well, after all, his daughter is kidnapped by a rampaging Emperor and then returns married to some Sorcerer who technically should have died a thousand years ago. He still managed to keep his emotions to himself, the only sign of his nervousness was that all of his muscles were tense and little beads of sweat were forming on his brow. "This is Li Syaoran, my husband for eternity." As she said it she looked directly into Syaoran's eyes.

The moment was very tense as everyone waited to see what the Kings reaction to this new development would be. After examining his new son-in-law, the King broke the silence, "Are you okay with this Sakura? And is he even a noble, I don't recognize the style of his clothes."

_Sure, ask Sakura if she's okay with this marriage thing. Its not like I forced her to marry me, I wasn't the one about to die from an incomplete marriage spell. But then again, I would be dead right now if we hadn't gotten married. _Syaoran mentally sighed, he was arguing with himself about whether or not being stuck married to the Card Mistress/Princess of Japan was something that he'd be able to live through or not.

"Dad, I think I'm okay with it. He's a lot nicer than the Emperor. And Dad, he's a_ Li_, although I don't know if he was one of their nobles. It's a rather long story, but to make it short... he was turned into a stone statue during the Imperial take over of China and when Touya rescued me, he somehow caused him to change back. Then we were captured by the Emperor again and almost made me marry him, and because I was rescued in the middle of the marriage, I had to marry a sorcerer and soon. I'm just glad that he agreed or else I would have died before I had a chance to return." _My current predicament in a nutshell._

The King then looked directly at Syaoran before asking his next question. "Li, did you have a title? It would not do for the next King of Japan to have been a commoner." Syaoran felt his stomach give a violent twist as his eyes widened in shock. "Wha... But what about Kinomoto Touya, isn't he the heir to the throne?" Syaoran couldn't believe this, _is it truly my fate to be a king no matter what strange things happen?_

"It is not the first son who inherits the throne in this day and age, but the descendent one who has the most magical power. Sakura is much more powerful than Touya, so now will you answer the question?"

* * *

Sakura was definitely curious; did the sorcerer/warrior of the Li Clan that she married have a title? She wished that he wasn't so good at controlling what thoughts of his traveled across the bond. It really just wasn't fair that she embarrassed herself and he did not.

"Hai, I had a title." His answer was so simple and left much unsaid. He sure was stubborn when it came to revealing parts of his past. He had never mentioned it to her before, but then again, she hadn't bothered to mention that she was the Japanese princess and heir to the throne. Something that he should have been told before he married her.

Touya and her father both looked at Syaoran expectantly. Sakura gave a little sigh of frustration. It seems her husband was not too keen on sharing his title; surely it was nothing to be embarrassed of.

* * *

Syaoran noticed the looks that both the King and Prince were giving him. They obviously wouldn't stop interrogating him until they knew exactly what that had been. Likely so that they could announce it when they had the Coronation Ceremony for the new King and Queen. Himself and Sakura, again he felt his stomach twist violently. He really didn't want to have the responsibility of being King.

Deciding that it'd be best to give them his title he finished with, "I am Li Xiao Lang, Prince of China." It was slightly amusing to see their shocked faces after he had said that. They all looked like their eyes were about to pop out of their sockets and their mouths had dropped open to let all manner of bugs fly in. He was careful to keep himself from laughing and any signs of his amusement off of his face. It would not do to laugh in the King's face, it would make his announcement of his title seem like a joke so that he'd be amused which it most definitely was not.

After a long minute had passed the King had managed to compose himself once more and asked a question that Syaoran had only lightly wondered about. "How are you going to make your marriage work?" It reminded Syaoran of when he was engaged to Mei Lin. She annoyed him to no end as a young boy and it was only through his mother's advice that he managed to love her as a sister rather than look at her as nothing more than an annoying girl.

Looking straight into the King's eyes, he repeated what his mother had told him. "Love is expressed in action for love is a verb. To love is to sacrifice, to be willing to help that person through anything. It is wanting the very best for them, to put that someone else before yourself unconditionally." He paused before finishing his response, "That is what my mother told me, if I want to be able to love someone than I must serve them with my whole heart willingly. So I will do my best to serve Sakura."

To Be Continued...

Yeah, another chapter completed and I'm sorry if it's a bit on the short side. I hope it didn't have any mistakes; I was too lazy to edit it carefully. Had a big writers block and it left me with a bit of a headache. So um, it took a while.

I like reviews, and I hope to get the next and most important (well, maybe not _the_ most important) chapter up soon. Have a wonderful day and don't forget to SMILE all the way.

Just a heads up, I'm writing a one-shot, as the block was only regarding this story for some odd reason. It's called 'Dragon Slayer Sakura' and I think my summary will be: Dragon Slayer Teams race to bring an end to the vicious dragons. What happens when Naoko wants one for a pet?

Oh, and it's a humorous tragedy. I know, strange combination, but that's what it's turning out to be.


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